Chan: S'poreans can be a bridge among different cultures in fragmented world

Minister urges students to go beyond festivals and food, and understand other races better

- Taryn Ng

Speaking to an Indian patron lining up for carrot cake, a hawker makes an off-colour remark that all Indians like the dish fried up extra dark - cooked with more dark soya sauce.

Would this qualify as casual racism?

Some first-year students from St Andrew's Junior College (SAJC) thought so and said it was racist for the hawker to hold such assumptions.

The issues of racism and racial harmony were topics of discussion during the students' weekly character and citizenship education. lesson on July 19.

One student said making generalisations about people of the same race was racist, while another student pointed out that making such comments gave the impression that racist remarks were acceptable.

Sitting in on their lesson was Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, who quizzed students to think deeper about their responses.