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SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education (MOE) expects institutions to be “open and timely” in their communications when addressing allegations of misconduct involving teachers and students, Minister of State Sun Xueling said.
Ms. Sun was responding to a parliamentary question from Mountbatten Member of Parliament (MP) SMC Lim Biow Chuan on whether autonomous universities can provide clear communications with their students when allegations of misconduct arise.
Mr. Lim had raised the question following the removal of Dr. Jeremy Fernando from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Dr. Fernando was fired by NUS after it was discovered that he had “an intimate relationship” with a student.
READ: Fired NUS teacher had “close association” with BA; University makes police report
Institutes of Higher Education (IHL) handled a total of 172 disciplinary cases related to sexual misconduct by students and staff from 2015 to 2019, Ms. Sun noted in response to a follow-up question from Mr. Lim.
The autonomous universities handled 14 disciplinary cases related to sexual misconduct committed by students in 2019, up from 17 in 2018. Between 2015 and 2017, the universities saw a total of 56 disciplinary cases related to sexual misconduct committed by students.
“Our IHL are key public institutions, and they are expected to maintain high academic standards, professionalism and also have a duty to care for students. And that is why we have zero tolerance when it comes to cases of sexual misconduct that occurred on campus, ”added Ms. Sun.
When allegations of gross misconduct are made, colleges will immediately require the accused person to stay away from campus and may impose a no-contact order to ensure they stay away from the party making the allegations, the said. Mrs. Dom.
“A police report is typically made for allegations of gross misconduct and when the alleged offender is proven and charged in court, this will be a matter of public record,” he said, noting that the institutes also conduct their own internal investigations to determine if the individual has violated the code of conduct.
“When addressing complaints, the Ministry of Education expects the institutions to be open and timely in their communications, while taking into account the facts of the case, the need to guarantee the safety of their communities and safeguard the well-being and privacy of victims and other members of the community who are directly affected and the need to ensure that police investigations are not affected, ”said Ms. Sun.
READ: NUS has ‘fallen short’ in handling Jeremy Fernando’s firing, says Tembusu College Chancellor Tommy Koh
In his follow-up questions, Mr. Lim noted that members of the public criticized NUS for its handling of the Dr. Fernando case because the disclosure of his dismissal “was not timely.”
“What is the deadline when we say that the Ministry of Education expects institutions to be open and timely in their communications with students?” he said, adding that it is “justifiable” for students to request prompt disclosure of such incidents.
“I think as a student, if you are approaching a teacher, you want to know if the teacher is being investigated and if they are likely to be a predator, given the unequal relationship between a student and a teacher.”
Ms. Sun responded: “We agree that communication is very important and we will ask IHL to do more on this front, taking into account the context and specificities of the case.”
In Dr. Fernando’s case, NUS required him to stay off campus and “quickly” issued a no-contact order, Ms. Sun said.
“This took place and NUS had revealed it at their press conference.”
“Let me be very clear. We do not tolerate cases of sexual misconduct as well as sexual crimes that occur on campus, and the MOE will work closely with IHL to protect our students, ”said Ms. Sun.
READ: Student group asks NUS to show ‘transparency and accountability’ in handling the case of a teacher fired for inappropriate behavior
Sengkang GRC Workers’ Party MP He Ting Ru asked if there are plans to carry out investigations into allegations of sexual violence and sexual misconduct independently from universities or institutions to “give greater confidence to students.”
In response, Ms. Sun said there are “two leads” to investigations when allegations of sexual misconduct arise in colleges of higher education.
“First, a discipline board is convened when there is a need to investigate the infraction … students are also included on the discipline board to provide their perspectives on the issue. And the investigations are carried out through campus security and the issue is considered very seriously by IHL senior management, ”said the Minister of State.
On the other hand, when there are concerns of a serious crime, a police report is made and investigations are carried out by the police separate from the university, he added.
While there may be open discussions on campus about sexual misconduct cases, Ms. Sun said such discussions must be “academically rigorous, constructive.”
Faculty members and students are expected to “abide by professional codes of conduct in their interactions,” he added.
“So when there is a violation of those codes of conduct, the punishments are quick. Students can be suspended, they can be expelled from school, and the same goes for staff.
“And we see that in this case, the teaching staff were laid off very quickly, and NUS has shared that they will strive to improve when it comes to communications.”
