The recent news about bullying cases in schools has made a lot of people worried. Education Minister Desmond Lee mentioned that these incidents have “understandably heightened all our anxieties about the safety and well-being of our children in and out of school.”
Mr. Lee admitted that there’s always room to improve the way schools handle bullying. He said that sometimes, schools might take a while to talk to parents because they need to get all the facts straight first. But this can make parents and kids feel even more stressed. He stressed that any kind of hurtful behavior is wrong and that parents and schools need to work together and trust each other.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has already started a review to figure out better ways to deal with bullying. This review began in 2025 and is looking at four main areas:
- Improving School Culture and Rules: This includes making sure the rules on discipline, helping students who have done wrong, and making things right are clear and fair. They also want to make it easier for students to report bullying.
- Focusing on Values: They plan to add more real-life examples to lessons to help students understand the effect of their actions and learn how to solve problems in a better way.
- Supporting Teachers: They will give teachers more training and use new technology to help them handle bullying cases better.
- Working with Parents: The goal is to build more trust with parents through open conversations and by being good examples for the kids.
The review is still going on, with a plan to share their main suggestions and next steps by the first half of 2026.
Mr. Lee also mentioned a few recent incidents that brought this topic to the forefront, like a case at Sengkang Green Primary School and a video of a student with a knife. He pointed out that today’s kids have to deal with more complicated social situations, especially with all the online interactions happening on social media and chat apps like WhatsApp and Discord.
He emphasized that kids can and do learn to do better with the right guidance. He also noted that bullying isn’t a simple issue, especially when the stories from different kids or parents don’t match up. But in the end, everyone agrees that schools should be a safe place for children. As he put it, “Our schools must continue to be a safe space for children to learn the right values, discover who they are, build friendships and fulfil their potential.”
A mother of three, Melisse Lee, said she hopes the MOE will “reinforce its existing zero-tolerance stance on bullying, and always put the safety and well-being of bullying victims first.” She also said that using language that might sound like it blames the victim can make them afraid to come forward. A clinical psychologist, Carol Balhetchet, added that it’s good the ministry is taking action, and that both the kids who bully and the kids who are bullied need help. She said that a person who bullies often does it to feel powerful, maybe because they’re jealous or want to be popular. She also mentioned that teachers and parents need training to handle these situations and stop the “vicious circle” of bullying.
