Singapur: Education Ministry ‘does not tolerate bullying in any form’: Ng Chee Meng

 Every child is entitled to feel safe and secure in Singapore’s schools.

Asia /Sigapur/ Channel NewsAsia

Resumen: El acoso escolar en cualquier forma no será tolerado en las escuelas de manera que todos los niños tengan garantizado el derecho a sentirse seguros en las escuelas de Singapur, dijo el ministro de Educación Ng Chee Meng este martes 3 de octubre. Su comentario lo realizó al responder a una pregunta  del Profesor de Assoc, Daniel Goh, acerca del grado de intimidación y bulling existentes en las escuelas y las medidas pertinentes adoptadas tanto para los profesores como para los estudiantes involucrados. El mes pasado, las imágenes de una pelea en el aula en la escuela secundaria de St Hilda se distribuyeron ampliamente en línea. Un adulto «interno con una agencia externa» estaba presente pero no tenía la «capacitación o autoridad para manejar la situación», dijo la escuela. Pero esos casos son «menos frecuentes», dijo el Sr. Ng, señalando una encuesta global 2015 que indica que el 5 por ciento de los estudiantes de 15 años de edad de Singapur experimentan intimidación física. Esto se comparó con el 10 por ciento y el 20 por ciento para el acoso social y verbal, respectivamente. «Cuando los estudiantes se portan mal o cometen errores, las escuelas los disciplinarán y educarán para que haya aprendizaje y no se repitan», agregó. «El personal de la escuela también aconsejará a los estudiantes que están involucrados en el acoso escolar, así como a los afectados por él». El Sr. Ng dijo que para atender «comportamientos dañinos», el personal de la escuela y los maestros han sido entrenados en estrategias de manejo del aula, recursos que proporcionan prácticas para inculcar la disciplina. Los estudiantes, por otro lado, se someten a la Educación del Carácter y la Ciudadanía para aprender habilidades sociales, empatía, respeto y conciencia de los efectos de acciones malas en los demás, señaló.

Bullying in any form is not tolerated and every child has a right to feel safe and secure in Singapore’s schools, said Minister of Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng on Tuesday (Oct 3).

He was replying to a parliamentary question from Assoc Prof Daniel Goh on the extent of bullying and relevant measures undertaken for both teachers and students involved.

Last month, footage of a classroom brawl in St Hilda’s Secondary School was circulated widely online. An adult “intern with an external agency” was present but did not have the “training or authority to manage the situation”, said the school.

But such cases are “less prevalent”, said Mr Ng, pointing to a global 2015 survey indicating 5 per cent of Singapore’s 15-year-old students experiencing physical bullying. This was compared to 10 per cent and 20 per cent for social and verbal bullying respectively.

“When students misbehave or make mistakes, schools will discipline and educate them so that there is learning and it will not be repeated,” he added. “School staff will also counsel students who are involved in bullying as well as those affected by it.”

Mr Ng said that to attend to “hurtful behaviours”, school personnel and teachers have been trained in classroom management strategies, positive classroom culture and other resources which provide practices to instil discipline.

Students, on the other hand, undergo Character and Citizenship Education to learn social skills, empathy, respect and awareness of the effects of mean actions on others, he noted.

“They also learn coping strategies, relationship management and help-seeking skills,” said Mr Ng. “Schools also actively create a positive and supportive environment for all our students.”

“They have strengthened peer support by equipping students with relevant skills such as befriending and active listening. The peer supporters will alert and seek help from their teachers when they observe situations that affect the safety of their classmates.”

“OUR STUDENTS ARE WELL-BEHAVED”

Later, in response to supplementary queries from other Members of Parliament (MPs), Mr Ng noted cyber-bullying as a growing area of concern which schools are in the midst of implementing measures to deal with.

He also said that in severe cases, parents would be called in by schools to also be involved in follow-up action such as counselling.

And Mr Ng acknowledged that a national hotline for bullied children would be a “useful medium” in the event of reservations over opening up to parents, teachers or friends.

Assoc Prof Goh also asked about the growing instance of bullying videos being posted online and the impact on the reputations of both school and individuals concerned.

“Video posting and actual filming using handphones is actually prohibited in classrooms,” said Mr Ng. “But the upstream measures I’ve described earlier are more important.”

Proactive methods such as teaching positive social behaviour will be the emphasis, he added.

“Generally, our students are well-behaved. Instances of bullying in our schools are few,” Mr Ng concluded. “On the whole, bullying has been stable and managed.”