Number of Sexual Misconduct Cases in Post-Secondary and Tertiary Institutions in Last Five Years

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Education whether there has been a discernible increase in the number of sexual misconduct cases in post-Secondary and tertiary institutions in the last five years.

There has been no discernible trend in the incidence rate for sexual misconduct cases in our pre-university institutions and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) between 2015 and 2019.

Over this five-year period, there have been a total of 205 disciplinary cases related to sexual misconduct involving staff or student perpetrators in pre-university institutions and the IHLs. These were cases which had occurred within and outside schools and IHL campuses. Overall, on average, there were 0.13 sexual misconduct cases per 1,000 staff and students per year.

MOE and the educational institutions take a strong stance against all cases of sexual misconduct and are committed to providing a safe teaching and learning environment for staff and students. We will continue to work closely with schools and the IHLs to tackle the issue of sexual misconduct holistically, including through enhancing education on respect and appropriate behaviour, strengthening support for victims, tougher disciplinary frameworks and enhancing infrastructure where appropriate.