Singapore police investigating incident involving boys filmed hitting primary school pupil

Qihua Primary School said it counselled the affected students and is working closely with their parents to ensure the well-being of all who were involved. - PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): The police are investigating an incident involving boys who were filmed hitting a Qihua Primary School pupil.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, Qihua Primary School said in a statement on Sept 23 that it was aware of the incident, has counselled the affected pupils, and is working closely with their parents to ensure the well-being of all who were involved.

It added: “We have also reminded our students to look out for one another and to report any incidents of bullying to their teachers.”

The school and Education Ministry did not give further details, including when the incident occurred and when it was reported.

A 43-second video of the incident shared via Telegram on Sept 20 shows a boy wearing a black T-shirt punching a smaller, uniformed boy in the gut twice. In the background, another person can be heard saying “Again, again” in Malay.

The pupil gets up after sinking to the ground, and receives more blows from the larger boy, who also kicks him in the stomach.

Later in the same video, the boy in the black T-shirt is seen punching the pupil’s head and kneeing his stomach in a stairwell. He is joined by another boy in a grey hoodie, who kicks the pupil.

A photograph of the boys shows the smaller boy wearing a Qihua Primary School uniform with a slipper on his head as three others surround him.

Separately, the police confirmed that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.

Earlier in September, the police said they were investigating a bullying incident involving a group of secondary school students, after a 2023 video showing the group taunting a fellow student surfaced online.

In a July report by ST, the Education Ministry said that since 2013, the number of incidents reported each year to schools has remained at about two incidents for every 1,000 primary school pupils, and five incidents for every 1,000 secondary school students.

Schools teach students about establishing and respecting personal boundaries; speaking up against bullying and hurtful behaviour; and how to walk away from bullies and seek help from a trusted adult rather than engage with a bully, according to the ministry. - The Straits Times/ANN