Teacher charged for having sex with underaged student

Article

A 26-year-old teacher admitted in court yesterday to having had sex with a 15-year-old student, twice.

He was slapped with two charges of having sex with a person below the age of 16, reported The New Paper.

According to media reports, the girl allowed the teacher in to her Woodlands' flat in May and June this year, where they had sex.

The teacher cannot be named to protect the girl's identity.

The co-form teacher has been suspended by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and is expected to turn up in court next month for a pre-trial conference.

If conicted, he faces up to 10 years' jail and a fine for each charge.

My Views

What is wrong with our society, it seems these forbidden relationships are happening more often. More and more this molesting has been notified in the public eye.  This is becoming an increasing problem that threatens the very nature and integrity of our educational system and is destroying untold numbers of young people. Predators are no longer the creepy guys in the raincoats across from the school. Maybe we should "only" hire more mature role models in a school setting? The control of role models don't matter any longer- our society has no control any longer. How do we decifer who is a good teacher anymore? Parents need to teach their children more morals and teach them the way of protecting themselves. 

Koay Yi Jing - 105421G

600 000 killed a year, what is the cause?

 
LONDON - AROUND one in a hundred deaths worldwide is due to passive smoking, which kills an estimated 600,000 people a year, World Health Organisation (WHO) researchers said on Friday.
In the first study to assess the global impact of second-hand smoke, WHO experts found that children are more heavily exposed to second-hand smoke than any other age-group, and around 165,000 of them a year die because of it.
Children's exposure to second-hand smoke is most likely to happen at home, and the double blow of infectious diseases and tobacco 'seems to be a deadly combination for children in these regions', they said.
The WHO researchers looked at data from 192 countries for their study. To get comprehensive data from all 192, they had to go back to 2004. They used mathematical modelling to estimate deaths and the number of years lost of life in good health.
Worldwide, 40 per cent of children, 33 per cent of non-smoking men and 35 per cent non-smoking women were exposed to second-hand smoke in 2004, they found.
This exposure was estimated to have caused 379,000 deaths from heart disease, 165,000 from lower respiratory infections, 36,900 from asthma and 21,400 from lung cancer. -- REUTER

 

Comment:

 

600,000 people die a year because of exposure to second hand smoke.

 

I think it is good thing that Singapore has many smoke free areas, such as lift lobby, carpark area, school premises, shopping centre entrance and such by ruling we are actually reducing the risk of people suffering from second-hand smoke inhaling. However we are still exposed to second smoke at open areas people should be more considerate by not smoking while walking along pathways and in crowded areas.

 

Parents who smoke also need to take note that they should not smoke at home with the presence of their children. This is a bad thing for the children's health and the  children might also pick up the habit because of their curiosity to try out new things.

 

Student also  tend to pick up smoking habits in school when they hang out with the smoking clique. Not only are they exposing themselves to second hand smoke but eventually they might also start smoking due to increasing peer pressure and they to be like their friends in order to fit in.

 

We should keep away from second hand smoke and take care of our health by eating healthy and keeping fit. Our health is priceless so let's look after ourselves well.

 

Post by,

Banu Priya Bathumalai

 

No branded items? No partners in class

Article

Be rich, or at least appear to be, if you want to be popular in school. 

That seems to be the message in a recent topic on local forum Hardware Zone.The forum posts insinuate that if university students do not own at least one branded item, they will not be able to find project groups to work with and are ostracised.

A forum user on the Hardware Zone started the thread by saying: 'I heard that if you study in SMU and you don't have a car, or wear branded clothes, and don't have an iPhone or an iPad, socialising and making friends will be a huge problem.'

That comment riled up others in the forum, with quite a number replying in agreement. Another Hardware Zone forum user, 'SpinFire,' commented, 'Ladies there carry at least a Coach handbag, guys must have at least an iPhone 4 with Gucci or LV wallet.

'If not, no one will want to do project work with you. Sports or recreation clubs (also) won't take you in as a member..'

One forum user who claimed to be studying in SMU, posted a reply in the forum, saying that students had better ask their parents for a car before they start school.

Otherwise, they will 'never get a girlfriend here,' said the user, 'zeroboi'. 

He also said that the students here 'are rich, like really rich.'

Another forum user also commented that SMU seems to have become an elite university.

My Views

Well, that's the sad state of our affairs, our society is getting more and more materialistic, isn't it? Students do not own at least one branded item will not be able to find project group to work with, how sad it is. In university but behaving like a kid. Like if you dont have any branded items, they will not befriend with you. But the thing is, having branded item does not necessary make the owner of it any smarter. In short, we must not let materialism dominate our lives.

Koay Yi Jing-105421G

Primary 1 schoolboy goes missing after being bullied

Article

Bullying in school is nothing new, and the attack on this boy may seem trivial. Tom (not his real name) got only a bruise on his right leg, and fingernail marks on his left arm after five classmates allegedly set upon him; attackers were all 7-years-old. He said that when he asked them to stop, they kicked and pinched him.

"I wanted to go up to the second storey to run away from my classmates who were attacking me, but they pushed me to the floor andI hurt my chin," claimed Tom.

He then got up and was given a punch before he decided to run to the library. Other pupils who saw the attack looked for the discipline master, but could not immediately find him, he said. Tom tried to find his form teacher and also tried to call his mother, but he claimed the school phone didn't work. Feeling helpless, he ran out of the school crying even before the school assembly started in the afternoon. The vice-principal of the primary school confirmed that Tom had been attacked by five of his classmates in school and that the matter is being investigated. Tom claimed that the boys who attacked him had often taunted him with nicknames like "loser"and "idiot". Tom's mother, Madam Rina said she knew about the name-calling, and that Tom had often asked if he could transfer to another school because of it.

"But I brushed aside his complaints as I thought that it was common among kids to call each other names," she said.

"Moreover, his form teacher was also aware of it.

"But the attack was over the limit. I don't know why my son was beaten up and I want to find out why."

MadamRina said she decided not to make a police report after a discussion with Tom's father, 35, an operations executive in a security company.

They decided to let the school carry out the necessary actions instead.

My views

Kids nowadays are getting more and more uncontrollable. I think this has to do with the background life of a bully. A bully can inherit those behaviors from family or friends especially parents, play a major part in children's lives and can have an influence on their behavior. Parents talking with children about how to treat others and how others should be treating them AND being good role models themselves could be the most effective tool to fight against school bullying. In Toms's case, I think those attackers have to be counselled and they should be punished. More efforts needed to help ensure that school is a safe and secure environment for children.

Koay Yi Jing-105421G

MOE revokes scholarship of student found with child pornography

In a statement, a spokesman said the Ministry will also tighten its processes so that schools must provide information on specific behavioural problems which may affect their selection as teachers.
Wong was awarded an overseas teaching scholarship in 2006.
As part of the selection process, the spokesman said the ministry reviewed his academic and CCA records, as well as testimonials from the Chinese High School and Hwa Chong Institution which he attended.
The spokesman said the teachers did not include in his testimonials the fact that he was publicly caned as a student in 2002 for peeping in a lady's toilet as they thought that he had overcome this errant behaviour after professional help.
The Ministry said it expects their teaching scholars to conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the standards of the teaching profession, and will take the necessary actions against those who have behaved inappropriately.
Wong, a third -- year history undergraduate, was caught with 50 videos of child pornography on his computer hard disk after the police raided his room in March.
Of the films, 25 were rated as Four on the Copine scale, which is used to decide the severity of child pornography.
The top two categories, levels four and five, are used for hardcore pornography.
Wong, who is out on bail, will be sentenced by the York Crown Court on December 13 and faces imprisonment.
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I'm glad that the ministry had taken such a measure, to withdraw his scholarship. He should not have been awarded the scholarship in the first place due to his past offence of having caned in public for peeping at girls in the toilet at the age of 15. After securing the scholarship, he is still not repentant and continue his wrong doings. The ministry have also done another right move to check all applicant's background in future for any signs of behaviour problems before offering the scholarship to them.

Yu Ming

Booklet printed in all 4 languages is such a waste of paper

STOMPer save the earth does not think it prudent to print this Emergency Guide booklet in all four major languages. He suggests distributing the English version to all households while making the copy in other languages available at the community centres.

Said the STOMPer:

"Every household would have received the Emergency Guide by MOH and the Health Promotion Board.

"While I agree that Singapore is a multi-racial society that supports 4 major languages, is there a need to waste an extra 20 pages on other languages in a booklet that is given to every household?

"My household is only interested in the English version which only made up 5 pages.

"Is it really necessary to print such a thick booklet for every household when most of the 20 pages will be useless to them?

"Multiply 20 by the total number of households in Singapore -- that is how much paper and printing costs have been wasted.

"The amount wasted could have been used to provide subsidies to the needy instead.

"Besides wasting taxpayers' money, it is also a waste of paper.

"The first of the '3R's is Reduce.

"Can you imagine how much paper has been wasted?

"A suggestion: Just distribute the English version to every household, but make the copy in other languages available the community centre.

"The amount saved would be substantial."
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I feel that this stomper having a wrong mindset. There is this need to send all 4 copies in different languages to all households. Who knows if that particular household out there only knows one language? Or what if its only one elderly living in that flat who only understands chinese? In this world these days we tend to focus too much on money. Although printing less will save the earth and also save a huge sum of money, but we have to remember the fact that, as long as one person get's saved by reading this information booklet regardless of the language, all the money spent is worth it. A life is priceless.

Yu Ming

Nassim Rd house is one of Asia's 5 most expensive homes

STOMPer propertyagent was stunned to learn just how much a house can cost you in Asia -- take a look at Asia's most costly residences.

The STOMPer described:

"The most expensive house in Singapore is worth US$120 million.

"It is none other than the Arwaa Mansion at 48 Nassim Road, which is purportedly owned by the younger brother of Sultan of Brunei, Prince Jefri Bolkiah.

"The other unbelievably expensive houses in Asia are in India, Shanghai, China and Hong Kong.

"All of them range from tens of millions to billions of dollars.

"And I thought HDB prices were high..."

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I feel that there is no point having such a luxury house when you can simply stay in a HDB flat. In life, one just have to be contended with what they have. A simple four room HDB flat should be enough for most families, if couples want a modernistic look or feel in their homes, all they need is some interior designing. I have once seen a video on facebook, a guy living in hong kong with a flat of only 400 square feet, is able to make his house look so spacey and big with 26 different sliding compartments and mirrors as his ceiling. And from the video it can be seen that he is very happy with his house.

Yu Ming

MOE Scholar Caught with Hardcore Child Pornography.

   Jonathan Wong a 23 year MOE scholar who is studying in University of York at where he is a third-year History major in the United Kingdom has been caught with hardcore child pornography videos on his computer.

  Wong has pleaded guilty to 17 charges of downloading child pornography between July 15, 2008, and March19 this year. According to the Crown Prosecution Service spokesman, the maximum sentence for "the most serious of these types of offences is 10 years".

  This is not the first time Wong was caught for his unusual sexual behaviour when he was 15 he was caned in his secondary school for peeping at primary school girls in the toilet.

  I think he is paedophile. His scholarship should be revoked. He should be a role model as a scholar but he is an bad example and a disgrace to the country. He should be severely punished and sent to rehabilitation centre. He should let others suffer for his wrong doing. The children have a bitter past to remember now. 
This is going to affect their daily life and haunt them for the rest of their life.

  We should not only emphasise on academic excellence our society should also emphasise on socially acceptable behaviour and moral behaviour. We focus to much on academic excellence and we forget to instill moral values in our children while they are growing up.


Banu Priya Bathumalai
  

Student snaps photo of 'O' Level paper and posts it on Twitter

Article
A student from Outram Secondary School posted a photo of his 'O' Level Social Studies exam papers along with the tweet, "Do you dare bring phone into examination hall and take a picture?" Xavier Ong's brazen act may be illegal, but the teen says he loves the attention and does not intend to remove the photos. Some called it a 'brave' but foolish act, but to others it was a self-seeking cry for attention. He received much attention from local and global Twitter users after he posted the picture. But now, he regrets his actions. He felt like a criminal who was being interrogated during a meeting with the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) yesterday regarding his Twitter post.

My views
I think this is what social media is doing to humans these days. A mixup between the real & cyber world! Many people think that it is harmless to post anything online, they do not know the consequences that may arise. Like in Xavier's case, he didn't know that the post might have given viewers the lack of seriousness in the exam procedures for the 'O' Level examinations and he will be interrogated like a criminal. In my opinion, students should be taught to understand new media and the real risks that it poses. They also should be taught the effective decision-making strategies to assist in deciding what is the right action.
Koay Yi Jing-105421G

Nicholas Chan, 101249L
Child pornography.
A Singaporean student at the University of York has pleaded guilty to 17 charges of making child pornography videos featuring girls as young as 6-years-old.
Jonathan Wong, 23, who is on an Education Ministry teaching scholarship, is currently out on bail and has surrendered his passport to the police.
Martin Butterworth of the Crown Prosecution Service told magistrates that some of the girls featured in the videos looked as “young as six”.
“Of the movies, some of them are graphic, some of them have audio, some of them last more than an hour.
Why people are so much into pornography? Well I think that this people are just sick in the mind. They just do not have anything better to do. Pornography is something that people in it would want to keep it private. Not to let it be shown to the whole world. And this guy he is even having videos of girls as young as six and it is really weird. Because girls at that age are still innocent and I think that they are being forced into doing it. Jonathan Wong should be charged and be jailed for doing this.

Nicholas Chan, 101249L
I find that the slashing incident at downtown east has made known to all Singaporeans that we have to be on our guard against gangsterism. As gangsterism is on the rise, many innocent parties will get harmed. People who hang out late at night are not necessarily up to no good. But they might be just having a small gathering. Recently, my group of friends, we were out under a HDB block then police came to use and take down our IC number. As we were just talking and not making so much noise, they police told us that we should go home as the night is very dangerous. But we didn't care so much about it at all. But after the case of the death of Darren Ng, the police will take suspected people to the cantonment unit for questioning. But from my point of view, even though the police has stepped up on the security, but I think that it is totally useless. Gangs are everywhere. They are able to move around so quickly and this allows the police to take lots of time to track  them down. Therefore, I think that what the police should do, is to bring the SSB unit to talk to the gang leaders. After a week or 2, there is a case of a stabbing incident in ang mo kio. Although they say that it does not concern anything of gangsterism, but I think it does, because who will bring a knife with them when they go out. It can never be of such coincidence. I think that the case still has some leads to the downtown east incident.