Police Investigating Bullying Incident Involving a Qihua Primary School Student

A viral video showing a Qihua Primary School student being attacked by one or more people has prompted a police investigation. 

The disturbing four-minute video showed a primary school boy in the Qihua school uniform dragged, kicked and punched by another boy in a black t-shirt and jeans, who appears to be a teenager. 

It has yet to be confirmed when and where this incident happened, though it’s clear the attack took place in an isolated stairwell. 

Throughout the video, the victim repeatedly apologises and begs for the attacks to stop as he is thrown to the ground and kicked multiple times.

He can even be heard pleading in Malay, saying, “ Sorry, I won’t do it again.” Despite his pleas, the aggressor and the cameraman continue to taunt the boy and even go so far as to knee him in the stomach. 

The video made its way around Whatsapp and Telegram groups, eventually sparking enough questions and rage at the incident.

The Singapore Police Force confirmed on 23 September 2024 that a report had been lodged and that investigations were underway. 

The school is also aware of this bullying incident and the accompanying police report, and they’re working with the parents of the students involved and have even provided counselling for the affected students. 

Public Concern Over Rise of Bullying Incidents

This video and incident is only the latest in a long and rising string of bullying incidents in schools. Just last week, footage of five Bukit View Secondary School students were involved in an attack on a smaller student in a void deck went viral (although it happened in 2023) and similarly, recently, multiple teenagers were caught slapping, punching and kicking other students at ITE College Central. 

According to the Singapore Children’s Society, 1 in 4 secondary school students report experiencing bullying. 

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has responded to bullying in schools by saying that it “takes a serious view on any form of bullying, including cyber and gender-based bullying. All schools send a clear message to students that bullying is not acceptable and has no place in our schools.” 

MOE has put into practice many initiatives like Character and Citizenship Education, Cyber Wellness, student peer supporters and training for teachers on how to deal with complex bullying cases.