Ngee Ann Poly punishes 28 students behind hazing incident, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
Singapore

Ngee Ann Poly punishes 28 students behind hazing incident

This article is more than 12 months old

Punishments handed out to 28 students over urinating incident

The students behind a hazing incident in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) have been disciplined after an investigation.

In an e-mail sent to its students on Monday, the polytechnic said the disciplinary inquiry, held from April 19 to 21, had found that 28 students were responsible.

Punishments ranging from corrective work orders to suspension were meted out to the 28, all male students in their second or third year.

On March 22, a video clip of some NP students urinating on two male students, who were naked and squatting in a campus toilet, made the rounds on social media.

The school launched an investigation the same day and offered counselling support to the students involved.

NP said in the e-mail that the 28 students had participated in a trial programme on March 20 for student facilitators to prepare for an NP Students' Union freshmen bonding programme.

"After the trial programme, the group of 28 students gathered in a campus toilet and participated in an inappropriate act purportedly for 'fun', led by one of the students," the e-mail said.

It said the students took videos and photographs of the act, shared them with friends and uploaded them onto social media platforms.

NP said it suspended the activities of the Students' Union from March 25. There were also allegations about its past activities and conduct, which surfaced on social media after the incident.

The school said: "We will need more time to complete the investigations as we gather feedback and facts of these past activities. Should any wrongdoing be found, we will not hesitate to take all necessary actions."

BREACHED

The students involved in the hazing incident also breached Covid-19 restrictions by not wearing masks or keeping a safe distance from one another.

NP has added an anti-hazing policy in its student code of conduct and will be stepping up educational efforts to emphasise the importance of mutual respect and responsible behaviour.

Staff will remain vigilant and strengthen the supervision of student activities on campus. This will cover the selection and training of student leaders and volunteers.

NP added: "All students are encouraged to come forward and report activities or incidents that they are not comfortable with, even if these activities might appear to be consensual."

This article first appeared in The Straits Times.

Education