Armed intruder drill puts Bukit Batok Secondary School students, staff to the test

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Oct 23 that all primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, the Millennia Institute and special education schools conduct about three emergency drills each year.

The drills are planned with the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Singapore Police Force to make them as realistic as possible and help schools improve their procedures.

MOE said it also regularly reviews the scenarios to prepare schools for new and changing threats.

At Bukit Batok Secondary, Secondary 3 student Delicia Myrtle Deselva, 15, was among the first to spot the simulated attacker. She saw him in the classroom corridor while she was on her way back to class.

When she realised the man was holding a knife, she hurried to her classroom and alerted her teacher. The students then locked the doors and stayed out of sight.

Delicia said the experience has made her more confident about what to do in a real emergency.

“I’ve learnt a lot from these experiences and how I can actually instruct people on what to do and what actions to take,” she said.

Principal Shirley Lee said such drills help students feel more prepared should a real security incident occur.

As security threats get more complex, schools are preparing students for different situations, she added.

Prabaakaran Janarthanan, the school’s head of department for physical education and co-curricular activities, said knowing how to respond to emergencies is an important life skill that extends beyond school.

MOE said that after each drill, school leaders and teachers review the exercise with students and staff to reinforce what they should do during an emergency.

The ministry also works with schools and institutes of higher learning to hold workshops and discussions for staff on responding to possible threats in and around their campuses.

These efforts are also part of the wider SGSecure movement, which encourages Singaporeans to stay alert, know what to do in an emergency and look out for one another.