Assumption Pathway School
| Assumption Pathway School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| Information | |
| Type | Specialised School, Co-Ed School[1] |
| Established | 17 January 1938 |
| Website | www.aps.edu.sg |
Assumption Pathway School (APS) is a Catholic educational institution in Singapore.
History
The school was founded on 17 January 1938 as St Joseph’s Trade School and was started by two religious brothers from the Catholic Order of the Brothers of St Gabriel. In 1970, St Joseph’s Trade School was renamed Boys’ Town Trade School. A year later, it was renamed Boys’ Town Vocational Institute. On 1 April 1994, the school took the name of Assumption Vocational Institute (AVI) to facilitate the intake of girls in Jan 1995. The school later renamed as Assumption Pathway School in 2009.[2]
Controversy
Bullying incident 2018
On 12 April 2018, an Instagram story video of three students from Assumption Pathway School bullying another special needs schoolmate went viral on various social media platforms.
In the video, the victim is seen wearing a black rubbish bag, while one student shoved a toilet brush towards the victim's abdomen and face. Another student then went on to put a toilet seat over her head, while the others began laughing. The video has a caption that says "We're busy... bullying a retarded child." written in Malay language.
One of the girls involved in the incident reportedly shared on her Instagram story that she is on "okay" terms with the special needs student, admitted that she was indeed acting "too harsh", and urged the netizens to take down the video. She also reportedly seemed to show no remorse when someone allegedly told her to apologise to the girl. The girl later post an apology letter on Facebook on 13 April 2018.[3]
The acts were so horrific it reportedly prompted several members of the public to lodge a police report and e-mail the school.
Assumption Pathway principal Eric Leong told Singapore news media The New Paper (TNP) that:
"The actions in the video are unacceptable. We take a strong stand against bullying, and teach our students to care for others.
We have since identified the offenders and taken immediate disciplinary action. We are also working with their parents to ensure that the offenders are made aware of the serious consequences of their behaviour, and that they will not repeat such behaviour.
We are also providing counselling and continued support to the victim."[4]