Students spend ‘A Day in Court' to learn more about Singapore's justice system
SINGAPORE – Some secondary school students took over the State Courts on July 4, stepping into the shoes of judges, lawyers, witnesses, court officers and interpreters as part of mock trials for a harassment case.
It was not all serious. A 'judge' waved playfully from his bench at his classmates in the courtroom, and students cheered as their peers acted out a script based on a harassment case study they had discussed earlier.
The role play sessions were part of a 'A Day in Court', an annual programme started in 2014 by the Singapore State Courts to give students insights into Singapore's justice system.
As with the previous three years, this year's programme focused on harassment, in the light of harassment and cyber bullying on social media.
In her opening address to about 200 Secondary 3 students from 43 schools, Principal District Judge Thian Yee Sze said she hoped they would learn some of the legal remedies that harassment victims may seek, and practical life skills to handle harassment if they or their loved ones face it.
Role play sessions, last conducted in 2018, were brought back to give students a more interactive and informal learning experience, the organisers said.
New activities included 'CaseGoWhere', a quiz where students are given different cases and determine which court the case will be heard in, and 'You Be the Judge', where students evaluate a mock stalking and cyber bullying case study and decide on the most appropriate ruling.
The programme wrapped on a fireside chat where district judges explained what they consider before deciding the outcome of a case.
Neoh Wen Xuan, 15, from Hua Yi Secondary School, said she felt inspired to sit in the judge's seat and experience how judges carry out their jobs daily.
Her schoolmate Lu Jian Zhi, 15, said: 'I think the court is a very mysterious place because videos and photographs are not allowed inside... (The courtroom) is not something that a lot of people have access to, so I think it was a really eye-opening experience.'
Other students said they felt inspired and wanted to apply the lessons they learnt back in school.
'I think we could create a helpline for students facing (harassment) problems, who are afraid to reach out to their friends, close family or trusted adults,' said 15-year-old Puneet Kishore, vice-captain of discipline and development in the lifelong learning programme at St Andrew's Secondary School (SASS).
'Or, we could create a support system for people who call the helpline by having people check in on them regularly, befriend them, or sit with them during lunch,' he added.
SASS captain Linus Louie Yim Kwan, 15, said he would share what was learnt about the legal system to prosecute harassment with his peers, to help them understand the implications of their actions if they harass others.
Ms Ratna Mitra IIIyas, 28, student leadership teacher at SASS, said: 'We always try to educate our students about legal issues as young as possible, so that they grow up to be more socially aware.'
Programmes like 'A Day in Court' give students exposure to topics that schools cannot cover in depth, she added.
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