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SINGAPORE – The 11 institutes of higher education (IHL) in Singapore handled a total of 172 disciplinary cases related to sexual misconduct by students and staff from 2015 to 2019, Minister of State for Education Sun Xueling said on Tuesday (3 of November).
Sun told Parliament that this translates into an incidence rate of 0.12 cases of sexual misconduct involving perpetrators and staff, per 1,000 employees and students, in the six autonomous universities (AUs) and five schools. polytechnics.
The 41-year-old also revealed that the UA handled a total of 56 disciplinary cases related to sexual misconduct by students between 2015 and 2017 (0.21 cases per 1,000 students). In 2018, the UA handled 17 cases of this type (0.16 cases per 1000 students) and the following year, the number of cases dropped to 14 (0.13 cases per 1000 students).
Sun was responding to a follow-up question from Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan about the number of such cases. Lim also asked if AUs could provide clear communications with their students whenever there are allegations of misconduct involving faculty and students.
On October 23, the National University of Singapore (NUS) acknowledged in a press conference that it could have handled the Jeremy Fernando saga better and promised to be more open and transparent in sharing information about such cases with staff and students. He had fired Dr. Fernando, a non-resident academic at Tembusu College, on October 7, following an internal investigation.
He also said he took into account the mental health of the two alleged victims at the center of the sexual misconduct saga before making his police report. Furthermore, Dr. Fernando has also submitted a police report on an “aspect related to the situation”, according to reports.
Lim noted public discontent at the lack of timely disclosure by NUS, and asked what the timeline was for AUs to report such incidents to students. “Given the unequal relationship between a student and a teacher, I think it is justifiable for a student to request a timely disclosure, so that they can learn about and assess how to deal with the teacher,” he said.
In response, Sun, who is also a deputy from Punggol West, said the Ministry of Education would ask IHL to do more on this front. She noted that NUS had required Fernando to stay away from campus, and a no-contact order was quickly issued.
“Let me be very clear: we do not tolerate cases of sexual misconduct, as well as sexual crimes that occur on campus, and the Ministry of Education will work closely with IHL to protect our students.”
He added: “When there is a violation of these codes of conduct, the punishments are quick. Students can be suspended. They can be expelled from school, and the same goes for staff. “
Jeremy Fernando Saga: NUS considered alleged victims’ mental health before making a police report – Tommy Koh
Police report filed by NUS against teaching staff fired for sexual misconduct
