Proper behaviour and character are even more important today

MY FIRST question after reading yesterday's report ('Singapore scholar caught with child porn in Britain') about 23-year-old Jonathan Wong was: What happened, Ministry of Education (MOE)?

I was shocked that the ministry awarded Wong a teaching scholarship. Imagine if he had escaped undetected, graduated and returned to Singapore to teach in our schools?

What remains unconfirmed - but needs to be clarified - is whether the ministry was aware of the punishment reportedly meted out to him, while he was a school student, for allegedly peeping at staff or other students. Did the ministry screen its applicants with due diligence before awarding them scholarships?

Being academically brilliant, as Wong apparently is, is especially not enough to qualify as a teacher.

Character, particularly unblemished moral behaviour, is vital, given the environment in which a teacher operates.

Proper behaviour and character are even more important today when both parents work and disciplining students has become more challenging.

Pang Jinghua (Miss)