Singapore reports about 6 bullying incidents per 1,000 secondary students yearly, with schools using a tiered approach focused on prevention, support, and rehabilitation rather than punishment alone.
KEY POINTS
IN SIMPLE TERMS
Singapore's schools deal with bullying by teaching students to be kind, training teachers to spot problems early, and helping both victims and bullies learn and feel safe. Online bullying is less common but still taken seriously.
WHY IT MATTERS
WHERE DO YOU STAND?
Do you think schools should focus more on punishing bullies or on helping them learn and change their behaviour?
👍 👎 Vote ↓Singapore’s Ministry of Education tackles school bullying with a comprehensive strategy, balancing prevention, intervention, and support.
In a parliamentary reply by MOE, Singapore’s education system is taking a firm stand against bullying.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has set clear rules against bullying in schools.
They want to make sure students feel safe when they’re learning.
Over the past five years, bullying cases have stayed about the same.
In primary schools, there are about two bullying incidents for every 1,000 students each year.
In secondary schools, it’s about six incidents for every 1,000 students.
Schools in Singapore take bullying very seriously.
They look into every report of bullying carefully.
The MOE uses a step-by-step approach based on how serious the bullying is.
Teachers get special training to make classrooms friendly and spot students who might be upset.
Schools also have peer support networks to help students solve problems and support each other.
| School Level | School Bullying Incidents per 1,000 Students |
|---|---|
| Primary Schools | 2 |
| Secondary Schools | 6 |
The MOE also keeps an eye on bullying that happens online.
For every 1,000 secondary school students, less than one incident of technology-related bullying happens each year.
This shows that online bullying is not very common, but schools still take it seriously.
Schools teach students about using technology safely and how to be kind online.
According to MOE, “Whenever a student is affected by bullying, whether as a victim or perpetrator, the teachers and school counsellors provide emotional support.”
This shows that schools care about helping all students involved in bullying.
They don’t just punish bullies, but try to help them learn better behaviour.
For students who are bullied, schools work hard to help them feel safe and confident again.
The MOE believes that stopping bullying is not just the school’s job.
Parents play a big role in teaching their children how to behave well.
Schools encourage students to tell teachers or school leaders if they see bullying happening.
For very serious bullying cases, schools might need to take stronger action.
This could include getting the police involved if the bullying is very bad.
The MOE said, “As a society, we must be careful not to normalise such behaviours unintentionally.”
This means everyone needs to work together to show that bullying is not okay.
The MOE wants to help all students, even those who have been bullies.
They said, “The objective of these educative and restorative efforts is to help students learn from their mistakes.”
This means they want bullies to understand why their actions were wrong and how to be better.
Schools also refer students who are very upset to community resources called REACH for help.
Do you think Singapore’s approach to managing school bullying is effective?
Do you think schools should focus more on punishing bullies or on helping them learn and change their behaviour?
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