Bukit Batok Sec holds 'knife attack' drill for 1,200 students, staff武吉巴督中学为1200名学生和教职员工举行“刀具袭击”演习
In just the past week alone, there have been two reported cases of armed attacks at schools in Malaysia's Sarawak and the United States, with injuries reported in both cases and four fatalities in the Oregon elementary school case.And while Singapore remains one of the safest countries in the world — according to the Law and Order Index in Gallup's...
In just the past week alone, there have been two reported cases of armed attacks at schools in Malaysia's Sarawak and the United States, with injuries reported in both cases and four fatalities in the Oregon elementary school case .
And while Singapore remains one of the safest countries in the world — according to the Law and Order Index in Gallup's 2025 Global Safety Report — schools here do conduct emergency drills every year.
Such drills are supported by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), with school leaders and teachers-in-charge holding post-drill briefings to reinforce established procedures to students and staff.
The Ministry of Education also regularly engages Institutes of Higher Learning such as polytechnics and the universities, with one such drill conducted at the National University of Singapore earlier in February.
On Thursday (Oct 22), Minister for Education Desmond Lee observed one such drill at Bukit Batok Secondary School, which involved an "attacker" who turned hostile after he entered the school's premises.
The "attacker" was armed with a knife.
After school staff noticed the "threat", a staff member attempted to calm the "attacker" down, while other began a school-wide lockdown.
Police officers later arrived, handled the situation, and arrested the "attacker" after a brief standoff.
Some 1,100 students and 160 staff involved in the drill were later debriefed on the situation.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement that such emergency preparedness exercises can span different emergency situations, including fire evacuations, bomb threats, and uncooperative visitors.
"In consultation with SCDF and the police, exercises are designed to be realistic and progressive, allowing schools to review and update protocols to bolster their readiness and response capabilities across a range of emergencies," the ministry added
These protocols include internal communication channels and the execution of Run-Hide-Tell actions.
According to MOE, such drills are intended to also complement the SGSecure movement's efforts to inculcate vigilance and preparedness from young, by familiarising students with what they can do to protect themselves and seek help during an incident.
Beyond drills, workshops and scenario-based discussions are also conducted for selected staff on potential threats from within and around the school.
"Together, these efforts help build a culture of preparedness and reinforce the shared responsibility we all have in keeping Singapore safe – by staying vigilant, knowing how to respond during an emergency, and looking out for one another," the ministry said.
仅在过去一周，马来西亚沙捞越和美国就分别报告了两起学校武装袭击事件，两起事件均有人员受伤，俄勒冈州小学事件造成四人死亡。
尽管新加坡仍然是世界上最安全的国家之一——根据盖洛普 2025 年全球安全报告中的法律与秩序指数——但这里的学校每年都会进行应急演习。
新加坡警察部队 (SPF) 和新加坡民防部队 (SCDF) 为这类演习提供支持，学校领导和主管教师会在演习后举行简报会，以加强对学生和教职员工的既定程序。
教育部也经常与理工学院和大学等高等学府进行合作，今年 2 月初曾在新加坡国立大学进行过一次此类演习。
10 月 22 日星期四，教育部长李智陞在武吉巴督中学观摩了一次此类演习，演习中一名“袭击者”进入学校后变得具有攻击性。
“袭击者”携带了一把刀。
学校工作人员注意到“威胁”后，一名工作人员试图安抚“攻击者”，而其他工作人员则开始实施全校封锁。
随后警察赶到现场，处理了事态，并在短暂对峙后逮捕了“袭击者”。
参与演习的约 1100 名学生和 160 名教职员工随后接受了关于演习情况的汇报。
教育部在一份声明中表示，此类应急准备演习可以涵盖不同的紧急情况，包括火灾疏散、炸弹威胁和不配合的访客。
教育部补充说：“经与新加坡民防部队和警方协商，演习的设计力求贴近实际、循序渐进，使学校能够审查和更新相关规程，从而增强其在各种紧急情况下的准备和应对能力。”
这些协议包括内部通信渠道和执行“跑-藏-报”操作。
据教育部称，此类演习旨在配合 SGSecure 运动，从小培养学生的警惕性和防范意识，让学生熟悉在发生事故时如何保护自己和寻求帮助。
除了演练之外，学校还会为部分教职工举办研讨会和情景讨论，讨论学校内部和周围可能存在的威胁。
该部表示：“这些努力共同有助于建立一种防灾准备文化，并强化我们每个人在维护新加坡安全方面所承担的共同责任——保持警惕，知道如何在紧急情况下做出反应，以及互相照顾。”