BULLYING in school often takes the form of covert acts that undermine a victim's social and academic standing, such as the ostracism allegedly experienced by Ms Cheryl Tan ("Former RGS student claims she was bullied, sues school"; last Thursday).
The majority of students in elite schools are high-achievers, and this can lead to intense competition for academic honours and leadership posts in co-curricular activities, which may result in unsavoury tactics to gain the upper hand.
We want our high-achievers to also exhibit resilience and strength of character.
One way for them to learn such values may be to inject more diversity into the student body of elite schools, perhaps by giving more chances to those from less well-off families to enter these schools.
Maria Loh Mun Foong (Ms)
