MOE will consider all suggestions on bullying in review: Minister

Having centralised anti-bullying unit, more parental involvement among MPs' ideas

- Gabrielle Chan

Ideas such as a centralised anti-bullying unit, expert guidance on restorative practices and greater involvement from parent support groups are being studied by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to help schools tackle bullying.

Education Minister Desmond Lee told Parliament on Sept 23 that these suggestions from groups like parents, educators and community partners, as well as MPs, will be seriously considered as part of his ministry's ongoing review of the issue of bullying. The aim is for the final recommendations to be released in the first half of 2026.

"Improving our framework to tackle bullying is a continual work in progress," said Mr Lee, who is also Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, in response to a slew of suggestions raised by MPs.

Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong Central) suggested setting up a centralised anti-bullying unit to support schools and ease the burden of teachers, and Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) proposed consulting child safety and violence prevention experts, and working with external agencies.

Other suggestions included providing schools with more resources to investigate cases, keeping parents informed about the content of Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons so they can reinforce these values at home, and involving peers to educate others to stand up for those being bullied, said Mr Lee.