The Straits Times
Section: Digital Life
March 11, 2008
By Stephanie Gwee
With all the concern about cyber-bullying, what are schools doing to combat it? STEPHANIE GWEE finds out
INSTEAD of spending their time playing basketball, or sitting in front of the TV watching DVDs, 11 students decided to spend their holidays working on a school assignment.
The Secondary 3 and 4 students from Tanjong Katong Secondary School (TKSS) met twice weekly to pore over information on cyber-bullying, which they gathered through surveys of their friends and Internet research.
Their aim: to create a 16-page handbook with tips on identifying and avoiding cyber-brutes. More than 500 copies of the book - a second instalment is on the way - have been distributed to Secondary 1 students and their parents.
TKSS’ vice-principal Madam So Mun Yee said: ‘We have worked with Touch Community Services since they had first introduced the concept of cyber wellness education. We can be said to be the pioneers in this.’
The school also offers cyber wellness academic programmes which take students through topics like gaming addiction and intellectual property rights, with a strong focus on responsible Internet use and online etiquette.
Schools like St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) and Cedar Girls' Secondary School also have similar programmes.
Said a spokesman for Cedar Girls’: ‘Through our cyber wellness education, the girls are brought through the process of self-reflection where they consider their own values with respect to different issues, including cyber-bullying’.
In addition, SJI also has a four-year social education programme where the boys are taught how to relate to each other and befriend others to help them manage conflicts better.
The Ministry of Education said that all schools are required to teach cyber health so that students know what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour online, and can flag an adult if they feel they are being victimised.
The ministry also requires schools to ‘investigate all reported cases of bullying’. Victims are also counselled and for serious cases, schools may use disciplinary measures to correct offenders, said the spokesman.
For instance, in SJI, according to their official Website, disciplinary action can include detention during which the teacher keeps the student back after school and assigns him extra work.
For serious cases, the school might issue a warning letter to the parents or suspend the student.
The ministry also developed a School Bullying Management Kit for all secondary schools last year.
It provides information on how to identify potential victims of cyber-bullying and how teachers can assist students who have been bullied.
A similar kit has been disseminated to all primary schools in January this year.
