National University of Singapore admits mishandling lecturer’s sexual misconduct case
- Singapore’s largest university said it would be more transparent in giving information about such cases in future
- The school acknowledged it made a mistake in not telling students about the case before it was publicised on social media
Singapore’s largest university on Friday admitted its failings in dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct in cases involving its students and pledged to improve how it handles such situations in the future.
The commitment to be “more open, more transparent [and] more willing to disseminate information in a timely manner” came on Friday from Tommy Koh, the rector at National University of Singapore’s residential Tembusu College, as he addressed brewing public criticism over the sacking of former lecturer Jeremy Fernando.
Fernando, who teaches interdisciplinary modules across literature, philosophy and media, was fired from his job after NUS investigations found he had “fallen short of the standards of professionalism that the university expects of a teaching staff”.
In accounts the two students gave to The Straits Times, they chided the university for a lack of communication on the issue, and for waiting until it had surfaced on social media to send clarifications to the student population.
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After the university lodged a police report against Fernando on Wednesday, it then provided a timeline of how events unfolded.
It was not known why the alleged victims did not want the report filed.
Koh, a legal scholar and former diplomat who is viewed as a respected public intellectual, said that NUS was legally obliged to report the allegations, but that the delay from the time the allegations were made in late August and early September until the police report was filed on Wednesday was because of concerns over the victims’ well-being.
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He said the university will delay reporting such cases to the police if its specialised victim care unit “feels that by reporting … you may cause the victim to self-harm himself or herself, or by reporting to the police, you will seriously harm the mental health of the complainant or make the recovery difficult, if not impossible”.
Koh said the university had not been more forthcoming from the start because it had a “conservative culture” and had believed that when a staff member is dismissed, the best practice is to not publicise it, in the way private-sector companies sometimes keep such cases under wraps.
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But this was not applicable for a public institution, he said, where all the stakeholders should be kept informed.
“The policy is to be open rather than closed, to be transparent rather than opaque, to give timely information to your stakeholders, rather than withhold such information,” Koh said.
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Last year, NUS student Monica Baey took to Instagram Stories to air her frustrations with how NUS handled her case when she was filmed in the shower by fellow student Nicholas Lim, who she felt got away with the offence too lightly.
It catalysed a change in how NUS deals with such cases. The victim care unit was formed, and a committee was convened to review existing school sanctions on sexual misconduct cases.
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The NUS Board of Trustees accepted the committee’s recommendations, which included a minimum one-year suspension and immediate expulsion for “severe instances or aggravated forms of offences of sexual misconduct”.
While Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world, it has seen a rise in voyeurism cases, especially those involving mobile phones. Last month, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said the spate of voyeurism cases had him considering whether penalties for such crimes were enough to stop the problem.
NUS dean of students Leong Ching said Friday that the university takes such incidents seriously and would be more transparent in future instances – including in its internal communications to staff and students – because not letting students know earlier in this latest case was “a mistake”.
The university’s culture had to change, said Leong, “from one that is conservative and erring on the side of caution, to one that commits itself to timely, accurate, respectful communication”.