A National Junior College (NJC) spokesperson has responded to allegations that one of their teachers was racist towards students.
Background
The allegations have been circulating in an Instagram post by @minorityvoices, which shared an account of racist behaviour by an anonymous contributor who was apparently a former NJC student.
The contributor alleged "blatant racist incidents" involving a particular teacher in the college.
These incidents involved allegedly differential treatment between Indian and non-Indian students when it came to flouting uniform rules. The teacher also allegedly made a "religiously insensitive comment" regarding prayer strings on the contributor's wrist.
Other Indians "echoed the same sentiments" of being "singled out" for "causing a ruckus" when they had "merely been studying", the post claimed.
The post was also subsequently shared to Reddit, where it generated even more discussion.
In a follow-up post shared on @minorityvoices, the contributor acknowledged that she could reach out to NJC, but: "What happens then?... How will my email be addressed or investigated?"
She also said she wished to remain anonymous as she is afraid of the consequences should she identify herself.
Mothership has reached out to NJC for comment.
NJC spokesperson response
In response to Mothership's queries, the school has responded to the allegations, saying that they do not condone any racist behaviour by their students or staff.
Ang Pow Chew, NJC's principal, said: "We are committed to investigating promptly, and we will not hesitate to counsel and discipline those found to be engaging in such acts."
Past and present students of various races have written in, to state that the teacher in question "has not shown any racial bias", Ang said.
The teacher might have come off as strict when interacting with students in her role as discipline mistress back then, Ang told Mothership. However, there is no evidence to show that the teacher had racially discriminated against students in the course of carrying out her duties.
The school regrets reading about the alumna's experience, he said, and would like to reach out to the anonymous contributor to assist in investigations.
MOE: Any form of racism unacceptable
Recently, there has been a slew of allegations of racism posted to Instagram and Facebook. One such incident involved former Ngee Ann Polytechnic students accusing their ex-lecturer Tan Boon Lee of racially and religiously insensitive behaviour.
On Jun. 17, the school said that they are in the process of firing its senior lecturer Tan Boon Lee.
Following these incidents, the education ministry said that any form of racism is unacceptable and has no place in local schools, The Straits Times reported.
A Ministry of Education (MOE) spokesperson said that students and staff who experience racism in schools should bring it up to their institutions for investigations to be conducted, with those found engaging in racist acts to be counselled and disciplined.
The spokesperson added that the ministry also expects educators to conduct themselves to the highest standards.
Top photo via minorityvoices/Instagram, Wikipedia.