LAST Monday, Secondary 1 students who were part of the Band Camp from Anglican High School, reported to school at 7am. Activities were still going on at 8pm. Because of the wet weather, a tug-of-war event was moved - to the school canteen in the middle of long tables and benches.

The school canteen is in a recessed area, accessed via a steep flight of stairs. One group of students had their backs to the stairs. In the ensuing struggle, some students were backed up to the top of the stairs. One student got entangled in the rope and was dragged - head down, from the top of the stairs. Two young girls almost suffered the same fate. I ran forward and caught the boy, trying desperately to hold him so his head would not hit the steps. My wife grabbed the rope and shouted repeatedly for everyone to stop pulling.

Throughout the episode, the teacher in charge stood in the middle of the canteen and watched. He did not bother to find out if anyone was hurt or needed help. Luckily, no one was hurt. When I asked him if he was the teacher in charge, he replied that he did not organise the activities.

The obvious point was that, as the supervisor and adult in charge, it was his responsibility to ensure activities were carried out safely. Who knows what would have happened if my wife and I had not reacted.

That was not all. The school was dark that evening, even though activities were still ongoing. Anyone could have entered the school as the gates were wide open and there were no guards. Young girls and boys were milling about in darkened corridors or visiting the washroom. The supervisory complacency and lack of propriety suggest an accident, or incident, waiting to happen.

Here is the final irony. After the tug-of-war, the teacher did not gather the students to post-mortem the incident and share the lessons that could be gleaned. Instead, he reprimanded the student leader for endangering his fellow students. Is that how leadership is taught in a school?

Chiang Wai Khoon

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Mar 15, 2008.