3 Montfort schoolboys in viral video to be caned and suspended, teacher had stopped fight in classroom
Aqil Hamzah
The Straits Times
March 3, 2025
All three Secondary 1 students involved in the fighting incident in Montfort Secondary School will be punished, and that will include caning, detention and suspension.
On March 3, the Ministry of Education (MOE), in response to media queries, said the students have been counselled, and the school will work with their parents to provide them with the necessary support.
The incident, which surfaced online on Feb 22 after a video was posted on social media, arose from a classroom fight, said MOE, without providing details on when it took place.
In the video clip, a group of boys can be seen trailing after another boy who is carrying a school bag, before they trip and kick him when he is down. The boy gets up, falls again after being tripped, and he gets kicked again. The clip was widely circulated online, and there were claims that the video was an instance of bullying.
In its statement on March 3, MOE said the boy who was pushed had been involved in the classroom fight with two other boys, before a teacher stopped them. The two boys then followed the third boy to the canteen, where the fight continued.
MOE said: "As all parties share some responsibility for the incident, disciplinary action has been taken to help them understand the severity and consequences of their actions." It added that the school has completed its investigations.
MOE also said that whenever reports alleging bullying or fights surface, school personnel try to "understand the underlying causes of behaviour, help students learn the consequences of their actions and choices, and take responsibility to not repeat their mistake".
It added that any form of hurtful behaviour is unacceptable and not tolerated in schools. MOE said it will continue working with schools to review how school incidents are managed.
It said: "We urge the public to give schools and teachers time and space to investigate and work with students and their parents to address such situations effectively.
"We are aware that there may be external parties seeking to exert influence when these incidents happen, and we hope that we can work together to protect schools as a safe space for children to learn and grow."
In October 2024, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said the average number of bullying incidents in schools has remained steady.
For every 1,000 students, there is an annual average of two bullying incidents in primary schools, and six incidents in secondary school, with these incidents covering both online and physical bullying.
Four months later, speaking in Parliament in February, Mr Chan said punishing students for bullying without rehabilitating them is not in line with the long-term developmental interests of children.
