It's been a couple of days since the Mount Kinabalu tragedy claimed the lives of several students and a teacher of Tanjong Katong Primary School, and naturally, accusing fingers are being pointed in the wake of the deaths.
Some have even blamed the school and its staff for bringing primary school kids on such a risky expedition, and that they should have just brought the students on a safer outdoor trip such as Pulau Ubin or Mount Ophir. Others take issue with the fact that 12-year-olds are going for mountain climbing.
One such person has even took to All Singapore Stuff to propose that all those who came up with the idea of the trip be removed from their positions, as well as a request for the Ministry of Education to compensate $1 million for each student who perished during the earthquake.
Obviously, saner minds have prevailed, such as the case of teacher Luo Yanjie, who took to Facebook to express his disgust over the "armchair critics" who have railed against Tanjong Katong Primary School. "Firstly, was the case of the missing students and teachers a result of negligence, poor planning, or a result of having an activity that is apparently unsuitable for upper primary students? No. It was due to a natural disaster. So why are you blaming the school?" he wrote on Facebook. "The school has run this programme for a number of years. So if you had issue with them bringing 12 year-olds up, then question that earlier instead of putting blame on them for something that they can't prepare for happened. You would have a lot more credibility than this."
Some parents have also spoken out in support of the school, such as Loh Kat Teng, whose son also underwent Tanjong Katong Primary School's Omega Challenge Mount Kinabalu Expedition last year. The mother expressed her full support for the programme and the school, as she knows for a fact that her son and his classmates learned and experienced much during the trip.
As of writing, two more Singaporeans are listed missing at Mount Kinabalu. Search operations are still ongoing for 12-year-old student Navdeep Singh Jaryal Raj Kumar and 35-year-old teacher Mohammad Ghazi Mohamed.
Photo: TKPS Omega Challenge blog
It's been a couple of days since the Mount Kinabalu tragedy claimed the lives of several students and a teacher of Tanjong Katong Primary School, and naturally, accusing fingers are being pointed in the wake of the deaths.
Some have even blamed the school and its staff for bringing primary school kids on such a risky expedition, and that they should have just brought the students on a safer outdoor trip such as Pulau Ubin or Mount Ophir. Others take issue with the fact that 12-year-olds are going for mountain climbing.
One such person has even took to All Singapore Stuff to propose that all those who came up with the idea of the trip be removed from their positions, as well as a request for the Ministry of Education to compensate $1 million for each student who perished during the earthquake.
Obviously, saner minds have prevailed, such as the case of teacher Luo Yanjie, who took to Facebook to express his disgust over the "armchair critics" who have railed against Tanjong Katong Primary School. "Firstly, was the case of the missing students and teachers a result of negligence, poor planning, or a result of having an activity that is apparently unsuitable for upper primary students? No. It was due to a natural disaster. So why are you blaming the school?" he wrote on Facebook. "The school has run this programme for a number of years. So if you had issue with them bringing 12 year-olds up, then question that earlier instead of putting blame on them for something that they can't prepare for happened. You would have a lot more credibility than this."
Some parents have also spoken out in support of the school, such as Loh Kat Teng, whose son also underwent Tanjong Katong Primary School's Omega Challenge Mount Kinabalu Expedition last year. The mother expressed her full support for the programme and the school, as she knows for a fact that her son and his classmates learned and experienced much during the trip.
As of writing, two more Singaporeans are listed missing at Mount Kinabalu. Search operations are still ongoing for 12-year-old student Navdeep Singh Jaryal Raj Kumar and 35-year-old teacher Mohammad Ghazi Mohamed.
Photo: TKPS Omega Challenge blog