UPDATE: Hwa Chong Institution has issued a statement on the matter:
A screenshot circulating online allegedly shows a message sent from Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) to its JC1 and JC2 students.
The message, which appears to have been posted on its Integrated e-Message Board (i-EMB), asks JC1 and JC2 students of the school to "refrain from posting or re-posting... anything pertaining to the Singapore General Elections (sic) 2020”.
The students were advised not to post (or re-post) any kind of message on their "private social media platforms", as well as "any social media platforms associated with the school", such as those used for CCAs or other school activities.
While the message did not state whether any action would be taken if students failed to heed the advisory, it included "[Discipline]" in the subject header.
Advisory was sent "in view of the nature of political campaigning"
According to the message, the advisory was issued "in view of the nature of political campaigning".
It said that it would be best to refrain from commenting on messages and posts on social media because the context behind many posts "tend to be complex, and nuanced".
Message offered help if "media firestorm is brewing"
The message also invited students to contact the school "if an online or media firestorm is brewing", with HCI students involved.
The school said that it would 'try our best' to prevent incidents from 'getting out of hand'.
In such a situation, the message said, HCI would "try our best to help the affected students to prevent any such incidents from getting out of hand".
Ironically, the message seems to have sparked exactly such an incident, with a post about the message getting over a thousand shares on the Facebook page of local activist and journalist Kirsten Han.
Here's the screenshot of the message:
Image via Twitter.
In a statement sent to Mothership, a HCI spokesperson said the school's position was that social media was not a "suitable platform for students to be discussing their views on national issues, especially during an election period".
"Students’ posts could be screen-captured, taken out of context and circulated further, even if the original posts were published in their private accounts. Such digital footprints could remain even if the posts were removed."
Top image from Hwa Chong Institution on Facebook and via Twitter