Desmond Lee urges students to challenge racial stereotypes: 'We repay hurtful words with kindness'

Education Minister Desmond Lee visited St. Anthony's Canossian Primary School on Tuesday morning (July 21) to commemorate Racial Harmony Day with students and staff.

This year's Racial Harmony Day celebrations focused on the interwoven fabric of Singapore's multicultural society, with a Primary 6 Character and Citizenship (CCE) lesson which encouraged students to examine stereotypes and foster greater understanding of different cultures.

The lesson combined written self-reflection, group and class discussions as well as role-playing scenarios to better understand the harmful effects of stereotypes and how they affect others. 

One classroom scenario involved a student sharing that he liked fishball noodles, to which another student responds: "I'm not trying to be racist, but don't all Malays like spicy food like mee siam?" 

Students were encouraged to reflect on how the question made them feel, before sharing their responses with their classmates. Many said they felt uncomfortable and were unsure how to react.

One student said: "Not everybody in the same race would have the same preferences." Another highlighted that while the comment was not intended to offend, it could still come across as disrespectful and hurtful.

The class collectively agreed that it was unfair to label a person based on their race, concluding that racial stereotypes create broad assumptions about entire groups of people.

During the discussions, Lee explained why the tone behind the student's opening phrase, "I'm not trying to be racist", could be problematic. 

He also stressed that stereotypes do not always stem from malicious intent, and may sometimes arise from misinformation or misguided assumptions.

Corinna Chua, Lead Teacher, CCE, reminded students that while curiosity and asking questions are important, they should also be "more sensitive" of their words and actions.

Minister Lee added: "We don't repay hurtful words with equally hurtful language. We repay hurtfulness with kindness and that's the best way to make a person sit up and reflect on [their] actions."

Three primary six students, Angelia, Beth and Sahithya, shared that the CCE lesson on racial stereotypes and the importance preserving Singapore's racial harmony was both meaningful and eye-opening.

Angelia shared how she previously thought "racial harmony was only [for] one day, where we show that we are in harmony with people from different cultures and races", while Sahithya admitted she had viewed racial stereotypes as "harmless jokes used in daily conversations [that were] meant to be light-hearted".

"Sometimes these kinds of stereotypes might be flippantly said or passed off as jokes," said English teacher, Diana Christian. "But I think the lesson allowed them to [dig] a little bit deeper and intellectually unpack what stereotyping means and how easy it can be for us to fall into that trap."

She added that students were encouraged to ask themselves questions such as: "Who is laughing?" and "Does that really show I'm caring for and being respectful to my friend?"

For Beth, her biggest takeaway was learning how she had to be more mindful and sensitive with her words after realising she could unintentionally offend others.

Christian also observed that today's students appear more willing to speak up when they encounter insensitive remarks.

"This younger generation are a lot more vocal and ready to stand up [when they hear these] kinds of comments being made to their friends, much more than when I was a student myself," she shared, adding that she was heartened by her students' empathy and confidence in navigating difficult conversations about race. 

Beyond classroom lessons, the school's Racial Harmony Day celebrations also included a collaborative installation of paper links bearing messages of community and harmony. 

The students also visited booths showcasing traditional games, food, music, and cultural practices from Singapore’s different communities. 

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