SINGAPORE: A school principal from Hong Kong who was seen swearing at security guards at SAFRA Jurong while on a school trip to Singapore in May has had his resignation rejected, and has been fired instead.
Lee Cheuk Hing, who was principal of San Wui Commercial Society Secondary School, had tendered his resignation on May 28 following the viral incident. His last day with the school would have been on Aug 31.
However, his resignation was rejected by the school on June 3, and it requested his “immediate dismissal”, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper quoted the school’s management committee as saying on June 3: “If he were to remain in office as principal before Aug 31, it would gravely disrupt the operation of the school and prevent the school’s teachers and students from moving forward as soon as possible.
“This constitutes the immediate dismissal of Lee and the removal of all his duties at the school.”
The school said that Lee’s “vulgar” behaviour during the school trip violated the professional code of conduct for teaching staff, and that Lee, as the head of the institution, was held to a higher standard by parents and the public.
The school’s manager, Edmund Wong Chun-sek, said the incident would not affect the hiring of Lee’s replacement, reported SCMP.
“I believe an isolated incident will not discourage dedicated, capable and aspiring educators from applying for this principalship,” Wong, a former lawmaker, said.
He added that the decision to fire Lee was guided by the best interests and well-being of students.
Following the incident, the Union of Security Employees in Singapore on May 30 said it strongly condemns any form of abuse towards security officers.
It said it had visited SAFRA Jurong to show its support to the security officers involved, who shared how challenging the situation was.
“Their singular focus was to stop the children from alighting in an unsafe zone along a busy main road at evening peak hour and (to prevent) the line of 23 cars from having to go around the coach to make a sharp turn to enter the SAFRA driveway, which could lead to accidents,” said the union.
“Despite the ordeal, the officers have remained resilient and continue to carry out their duties with professionalism, safeguarding the safety of patrons at SAFRA Jurong.”
The union said security officers in Singapore perform their duties to safeguard lives and properties, and should not be subjected to abuse while executing their duties.
Hong Kong media outlet HK01 reported that about 35 students and some teachers from the school were in Singapore for an economics and technology study tour from May 20 to 24 when the incident occurred.
In the viral video of the incident, Lee, who is standing at the doorway of a bus, is seen arguing with two women on the street who are wearing SAFRA security uniforms.
The women can be heard saying that the bus has to move “behind”. Lee then tells them to “shut up” and hurls several comments in Cantonese at them, including swear words, before making faces and taunting them to get on the bus.
A woman standing behind the man tries to pull him back to de-escalate the situation, but he shouts at her to “get out of (his) way”.
On May 26, SCMP reported that Lee was suspended from his position. He then tendered his resignation on May 28. - The Straits Times/ANN
