SINGAPORE: A survey by CNA's Talking Point programme has found that student bullying could be more pervasive than official figures suggest, with about 30 per cent of secondary school students in Singapore claiming
Among these, almost half said the instances took place in the past year.
A total of 1,010 students aged 13 to 17 and spread across 149 secondary schools were surveyed on their experiences with bullying in 2024.
Bullying was defined to them as: "Unwanted or aggressive behaviour meant to make you feel hurt and frightened. This can happen in person or online, and may involve physical actions, verbal remarks or even non-verbal cues. The behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time."
In 2024, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said the average number of bullying incidents had remained "steady" over the last five years – at six incidents for every 1,000 secondary school students annually.
Asked to account for the difference with what the Talking Point survey found, MOE's director of schools Tan Chen Kee noted that the ministry’s figures represent reported cases.
The spectrum of bullying behaviour can range from careless and insensitive remarks to physically bullying, she told CNA. "A lot of times, we find actually sometimes that the children or the students may not report some of these things to us.”
But this does not mean that MOE only looks at cases that are officially reported, she stressed.
A number of bullying incidents went viral in 2024, including in Bukit View Secondary School, Qihua Primary School and Meridian Secondary School.
More recently, after an alleged case of assault in Admiralty Secondary in January, the mother of a student who took her own life in 2023 went on Facebook to speak out against bullying.
The CNA survey found that verbal bullying was the most prevalent, followed by social or relational forms, which include being socially isolated or becoming the victim of rumours being spread.
Leanne, who used a psuedonym, was bullied until she did not want to go to school. Sharing her story with CNA, she recounted how she was initially close to a group of girls in Secondary 2, until they started to drift away and become distant.
She noticed they would hang out without her, and later started ignoring her. Her classmates also decided to not associate with her.
“There was one rumour that they spread. They said I was the dog of this other friend ... People have called me a dog several times,” she said.
“For a long period, I thought I did something wrong. I would spend a lot of time sitting alone, thinking of all my past interactions with them and wondering where I went wrong.”
She felt “really isolated” at the time, and “absolutely hated” the feeling of going through this experience.
“I had multiple breakdowns in school. I had a suicide attempt. I self-harmed for a while because I was punishing myself for being a bad person. I thought it was completely my fault that they dropped me,” Leanne said.
Leanne’s mother told CNA that if she had recognised the long-term impact of bullying earlier, she would have taken “firmer measures”.
“The whole class shunned her. She had nobody to talk to. Can you imagine what that does to a teenager? You go to school for those long hours. During recess, nobody eats with you. Nobody talks to you. Nobody acknowledges your existence,” said the mother.
“Her psychiatrist doesn't have a lot of confidence that she’ll be able to live until 16 years old.”
More than half, or 51.7 per cent, of survey respondents said they had witnessed someone being bullied. Of these, a third of them did not report the incident – and more than 70 per cent did not tell anyone about what they witnessed, because they did not want to get involved.
Student Trinetra Vijayarajan, 15, said she felt bad for not standing up for someone whom she thought was being bullied. But she was also scared. “I was just sitting there and I couldn't move because what if they get mad at me for interrupting?”
Others CNA interviewed said they were worried about being bullied by association if they stood up for someone being bullied.
“Thinking about the worst that could happen …Some people might think it’s about getting beaten up. Some might think it’s getting left out … We don't want a target on our back,” said 15-year-old Kavi Maniam.
Asked if they thought schools were doing enough to tackle bullying, the students interviewed by CNA said more could be done, though some teachers were trying their best.
“I feel that schools should implement harsh punishments for bullying. Because I've seen a lot of stories about bullying. It's traumatising. They traumatise them for almost their entire life,” said 14-year-old Tyler Yap.
For the Talking Point episode, CNA spoke to 20 teachers anonymously about their experience with bullying.
Schools have differing thresholds on what is a tolerable offence, they said.
Some acknowledged that bullies know they will not be properly punished, and that collecting evidence is onerous. Investigating such cases is additional work on top of teaching and administrative workloads, they added.
Schools also lack trained personnel to handle bullying cases, the teachers said. As a result, many are at a loss when confronted with a bullying complaint.
MOE’s director of schools said she was not surprised by the feedback, noting that bullying cases can take up “quite a bit” of a teacher's time.
“They are not alone. And when bullying cases or allegations of bullying surface, we do also help them to recognise that there is an ecosystem of support in the school,” said Mrs Tan.
Each school has students with a variety of profiles, so MOE gives autonomy to the schools to decide when cases should be escalated, she added.
There is a central set of protocols, and these are customised, adapted and used in each school “with full consideration” of the different profiles and factors there.
The Talking Point survey also found that about a third - 33.4 per cent - of victims reported being bullied a "few times a week".
That was the case for eight-year-old Michael, who also used a pseudonym. While in Primary 1, he was slapped every day during recess by a male classmate, and had two girls take his daily pocket money of S$2 (US$1.50). “I feel I’m so ugly I want to die,” he said.
He initially didn’t tell his mother or teacher about any of this. “I was scared that she would tell the teacher and the teacher would scold me.”
Only when Michael’s mother noticed that his face was swollen did the boy open up about the physical bullying, which at times also included kicks that left him with bruised arms and legs.
Michael’s parents eventually reported the incidents to his form teacher, who in turn said she needed to investigate.
“But she didn’t come back to us, even after two weeks. Then we had to call the school again. After the investigation, the school did ask the girl to apologise to my son and return the money. That's all,” said his mother.
She also filed a police report against one of the bullies. The police referred the case back to the school.
At the time, Michael’s bully was seven years old. Under the law, children under 10 cannot be charged with an offence.
CNA's survey found that among those whose bullies suffered some form of consequence, 33.8 per cent felt that the consequences were not sufficient. Among those whose bullies did not suffer any consequences, almost 30 per cent of respondents said they could not accept this outcome.
“I have sleepless nights," said Michael's mother. "Every morning when he goes to school, he will cry. Sometimes he will ask me, ‘Mommy, can you pray for me? I'm very scared to go to school’.”
With some help from their Member of Parliament, they eventually managed to transfer Michael to another school.
There, Michael is happier now, having made new friends. A few months after switching schools, he bumped into the classmate who used to hit him.
The boy apologised for his actions. They have met a few more times, and have started to become friends, Michael's mother told CNA.
Leanne, however, remains in the school as her bullies. Despite avoiding them, they sometimes make eye contact and she “can see the dislike in their eyes”.
“Deep down, I can't forget how they treated me. I didn't get any proper closure.”
“If you ask me whether the house is burning down, I would say no. But is it enough of a concern for us to know that we want to give it some attention? The answer is yes.”
She said the situation on the ground was “uneven”, when asked if MOE and its schools could better communicate with parents over bullying investigations.
“Some schools are able to do that a lot in a … more timely way. Some schools may need a little bit more guidance and support," said Mrs Tan.
"But as a system, we endeavour to do better."
Asked if MOE would consider bringing in third-party independent professionals to deal with bullying cases, the ministry’s director of schools said its teachers were professional and “not naturally inclined” to take sides.
Teachers are trained to take an “evidence-informed” approach when there are allegations and an investigation starts, said Mrs Tan.
The year head of the school or the school counsellor could already be the third party here, she added, noting that having somebody onsite would be more swift and effective.
Mrs Tan acknowledged that the issue of bullying has become a lot more complex, especially with the prevalent use of technology and the introduction of online spaces.
“If you ask me whether the house is burning down, I would say no. But is it enough of a concern for us to know that we want to give it some attention? The answer is yes.”
She said the situation on the ground was “uneven”, when asked if MOE and its schools could better communicate with parents over bullying investigations.
“Some schools are able to do that a lot in a … more timely way. Some schools may need a little bit more guidance and support," said Mrs Tan.
"But as a system, we endeavour to do better."
Continue reading...
Among these, almost half said the instances took place in the past year.
A total of 1,010 students aged 13 to 17 and spread across 149 secondary schools were surveyed on their experiences with bullying in 2024.
Bullying was defined to them as: "Unwanted or aggressive behaviour meant to make you feel hurt and frightened. This can happen in person or online, and may involve physical actions, verbal remarks or even non-verbal cues. The behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time."
In 2024, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said the average number of bullying incidents had remained "steady" over the last five years – at six incidents for every 1,000 secondary school students annually.
Asked to account for the difference with what the Talking Point survey found, MOE's director of schools Tan Chen Kee noted that the ministry’s figures represent reported cases.
The spectrum of bullying behaviour can range from careless and insensitive remarks to physically bullying, she told CNA. "A lot of times, we find actually sometimes that the children or the students may not report some of these things to us.”
But this does not mean that MOE only looks at cases that are officially reported, she stressed.
"I THOUGHT I DID SOMETHING WRONG"
A number of bullying incidents went viral in 2024, including in Bukit View Secondary School, Qihua Primary School and Meridian Secondary School.
More recently, after an alleged case of assault in Admiralty Secondary in January, the mother of a student who took her own life in 2023 went on Facebook to speak out against bullying.
The CNA survey found that verbal bullying was the most prevalent, followed by social or relational forms, which include being socially isolated or becoming the victim of rumours being spread.
Leanne, who used a psuedonym, was bullied until she did not want to go to school. Sharing her story with CNA, she recounted how she was initially close to a group of girls in Secondary 2, until they started to drift away and become distant.
She noticed they would hang out without her, and later started ignoring her. Her classmates also decided to not associate with her.
“There was one rumour that they spread. They said I was the dog of this other friend ... People have called me a dog several times,” she said.
“For a long period, I thought I did something wrong. I would spend a lot of time sitting alone, thinking of all my past interactions with them and wondering where I went wrong.”
She felt “really isolated” at the time, and “absolutely hated” the feeling of going through this experience.
“I had multiple breakdowns in school. I had a suicide attempt. I self-harmed for a while because I was punishing myself for being a bad person. I thought it was completely my fault that they dropped me,” Leanne said.
Leanne’s mother told CNA that if she had recognised the long-term impact of bullying earlier, she would have taken “firmer measures”.
“The whole class shunned her. She had nobody to talk to. Can you imagine what that does to a teenager? You go to school for those long hours. During recess, nobody eats with you. Nobody talks to you. Nobody acknowledges your existence,” said the mother.
“Her psychiatrist doesn't have a lot of confidence that she’ll be able to live until 16 years old.”
TAKING A STAND
More than half, or 51.7 per cent, of survey respondents said they had witnessed someone being bullied. Of these, a third of them did not report the incident – and more than 70 per cent did not tell anyone about what they witnessed, because they did not want to get involved.
Student Trinetra Vijayarajan, 15, said she felt bad for not standing up for someone whom she thought was being bullied. But she was also scared. “I was just sitting there and I couldn't move because what if they get mad at me for interrupting?”
Others CNA interviewed said they were worried about being bullied by association if they stood up for someone being bullied.
“Thinking about the worst that could happen …Some people might think it’s about getting beaten up. Some might think it’s getting left out … We don't want a target on our back,” said 15-year-old Kavi Maniam.
Asked if they thought schools were doing enough to tackle bullying, the students interviewed by CNA said more could be done, though some teachers were trying their best.
“I feel that schools should implement harsh punishments for bullying. Because I've seen a lot of stories about bullying. It's traumatising. They traumatise them for almost their entire life,” said 14-year-old Tyler Yap.
Related:
BULLYING CASES TAKE UP "QUITE A BIT" OF TIME
For the Talking Point episode, CNA spoke to 20 teachers anonymously about their experience with bullying.
Schools have differing thresholds on what is a tolerable offence, they said.
Some acknowledged that bullies know they will not be properly punished, and that collecting evidence is onerous. Investigating such cases is additional work on top of teaching and administrative workloads, they added.
Schools also lack trained personnel to handle bullying cases, the teachers said. As a result, many are at a loss when confronted with a bullying complaint.
MOE’s director of schools said she was not surprised by the feedback, noting that bullying cases can take up “quite a bit” of a teacher's time.
“They are not alone. And when bullying cases or allegations of bullying surface, we do also help them to recognise that there is an ecosystem of support in the school,” said Mrs Tan.
Each school has students with a variety of profiles, so MOE gives autonomy to the schools to decide when cases should be escalated, she added.
There is a central set of protocols, and these are customised, adapted and used in each school “with full consideration” of the different profiles and factors there.
SO IS THE HOUSE "BURNING DOWN"?
The Talking Point survey also found that about a third - 33.4 per cent - of victims reported being bullied a "few times a week".
That was the case for eight-year-old Michael, who also used a pseudonym. While in Primary 1, he was slapped every day during recess by a male classmate, and had two girls take his daily pocket money of S$2 (US$1.50). “I feel I’m so ugly I want to die,” he said.
He initially didn’t tell his mother or teacher about any of this. “I was scared that she would tell the teacher and the teacher would scold me.”
Only when Michael’s mother noticed that his face was swollen did the boy open up about the physical bullying, which at times also included kicks that left him with bruised arms and legs.
Michael’s parents eventually reported the incidents to his form teacher, who in turn said she needed to investigate.
“But she didn’t come back to us, even after two weeks. Then we had to call the school again. After the investigation, the school did ask the girl to apologise to my son and return the money. That's all,” said his mother.
She also filed a police report against one of the bullies. The police referred the case back to the school.
At the time, Michael’s bully was seven years old. Under the law, children under 10 cannot be charged with an offence.
CNA's survey found that among those whose bullies suffered some form of consequence, 33.8 per cent felt that the consequences were not sufficient. Among those whose bullies did not suffer any consequences, almost 30 per cent of respondents said they could not accept this outcome.
“I have sleepless nights," said Michael's mother. "Every morning when he goes to school, he will cry. Sometimes he will ask me, ‘Mommy, can you pray for me? I'm very scared to go to school’.”
With some help from their Member of Parliament, they eventually managed to transfer Michael to another school.
There, Michael is happier now, having made new friends. A few months after switching schools, he bumped into the classmate who used to hit him.
The boy apologised for his actions. They have met a few more times, and have started to become friends, Michael's mother told CNA.
Leanne, however, remains in the school as her bullies. Despite avoiding them, they sometimes make eye contact and she “can see the dislike in their eyes”.
“Deep down, I can't forget how they treated me. I didn't get any proper closure.”
“If you ask me whether the house is burning down, I would say no. But is it enough of a concern for us to know that we want to give it some attention? The answer is yes.”
She said the situation on the ground was “uneven”, when asked if MOE and its schools could better communicate with parents over bullying investigations.
“Some schools are able to do that a lot in a … more timely way. Some schools may need a little bit more guidance and support," said Mrs Tan.
"But as a system, we endeavour to do better."
Asked if MOE would consider bringing in third-party independent professionals to deal with bullying cases, the ministry’s director of schools said its teachers were professional and “not naturally inclined” to take sides.
Teachers are trained to take an “evidence-informed” approach when there are allegations and an investigation starts, said Mrs Tan.
The year head of the school or the school counsellor could already be the third party here, she added, noting that having somebody onsite would be more swift and effective.
Mrs Tan acknowledged that the issue of bullying has become a lot more complex, especially with the prevalent use of technology and the introduction of online spaces.
“If you ask me whether the house is burning down, I would say no. But is it enough of a concern for us to know that we want to give it some attention? The answer is yes.”
She said the situation on the ground was “uneven”, when asked if MOE and its schools could better communicate with parents over bullying investigations.
“Some schools are able to do that a lot in a … more timely way. Some schools may need a little bit more guidance and support," said Mrs Tan.
"But as a system, we endeavour to do better."
Continue reading...