Singapore — After the shocking killing of a 13-year-old boy at River Valley High School on Monday (Jul 19) occurred, 97 per cent of the students were back in school on Wednesday, according to Mr Wong Siew Hoong, the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Director-General of Education.
Mr Wong praised the “resilience” of the students and said “we are proud of them.” His remarks, made during a media doorstop on Wednesday, were widely featured on several news outlets.
He added that Wednesday’s attendance rate is similar to that of “any given day” at RVHS, and also said that students would continue to receive help as needed.
“The school, with MOE’s support, has also provided helplines for staff, students and their parents, and will continue to keep a close eye on students and staff who are still traumatised or show prolonged distress symptoms, so that help can be provided to them in a timely manner,” Mr Wong said.
In online spaces, however, the director-general’s remarks about the “resilience” of the students were criticised by many, as netizens felt that the students and their parents should have been given more time to process the tragic killing of one of their peers.
“Praising this brand of resilience simply makes it a numbers game,” a netizen wrote.
Others disagreed that this is “resilience” and added that the students have “no choice.”
One commenter wrote that it “is not the time to talk about resilience yet,” and added that the government “should be held accountable for doing only the minimal best for societal mental health.”
Another seemingly went over the head of Mr Wong and addressed Education Minister Chan Chun Sing in their comment, asking “Are you not proud of the 3% who did not and stayed home bcos they needed more time to recover from the trauma?”
This sentiment was echoed by other netizens as well.
Some felt that highlighting the “resilience” of the students would only shame those who are still reeling from the trauma and prevent them from endeavouring to get help.
One wrote that the students should have been given at least 3 days at home.
/TISG