GEIS-新闻详情

Chan Chun Sing to deliver ministerial statement to address concerns about River Valley High School incident

2021-07-23 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE - Education Minister Chan Chun Sing will be making a ministerial statement in Parliament next week to address concerns from parents and the community about the River Valley High School (RVHS) incident.

In a Facebook post on Friday morning (July 23), Mr Chan said: "There are understandably concerns from parents and our community, on what is being done to support our schools and look out for students in need."

He noted how the community has rallied together despite the difficult week.

On Monday, a 13-year-old student was pronounced dead in the school. A 16-year-old student from the school was charged with the boy's murder in a district court on Tuesday. He cannot be named as he is under 18.

Said Mr Chan in his Facebook post: "From the members of the public who left flowers and notes of condolences and encouragement at the school, to the counselling professionals who stepped forward to offer their services, there have been numerous gestures of care, kindness and compassion."

A website set up by the school for the public to leave messages of support and give their condolences has drawn more than 2,440 messages as at Friday morning.

In his Facebook post, Mr Chan also commended the teachers and school staff of RVHS for their "prompt and decisive action to protect the students during the incident and even as their hearts ache, they mustered the strength to care for our students in the aftermath".

The Ministry of Education said on Wednesday that psychological and trauma support is on offer to close friends and teachers of the Sec 1 boy and the teen accused of killing him.

Students from the school range in age from 12 to 18. The school offers the six-year Integrated Programme that allows students to skip the O levels and take the A levels in their sixth year.

Other schools around Singapore have also told students that they can approach staff or counsellors for mental health support.

On Friday morning, President Halimah Yacob said in a Facebook post that parents, schools and society are ill equipped to deal with young people who are struggling with mental health issues, as she called for more to be done to help them.