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Uproar over Sengkang Green Primary bullying reveals an unrealistic Singapore
Repair, not just punishment, must be the goal of efforts to stem bullying.
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Care must be exercised in helping the victims, while ensuring no one involved is subsequently ostracised, says the writer.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Jason Tan
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Managing bullying in schools is rarely a black-and-white issue, yet public reactions often assume it is. The recent Sengkang Green Primary case illustrates how public outrage, fuelled by viral posts, often collides with the far more complex realities of handling such incidents.
Sengkang Green Primary School made the news recently when the mother of a pupil alleged on Facebook in mid-August that her daughter had been bullied by three male classmates, that she had also received prank calls and death threats against her, her daughter and her husband, and that a written reply from the school was not forthcoming.
