THE International School @ Parkcity has apologised for spreading the anti-palm oil message among students, said Teresa Kok.

“They said in hindsight, they could have handled the situation better.

“I reiterated my stand to them, that the issue is not about stifling freedom of expression in schools.

“Rather, it is about them having a fuller understanding of both sides of the coin when it comes to the palm oil controversy, particularly the numerous efforts made by the government and industry players towards ensuring a sustainable value chain,” said the primary industries minister in a statement today.

She said she was paid a visit by the school’s senior administrators, including education director Andrew Dalton, principal Andrew Turner and Parkcity director Sukhdev Singh, yesterday, and the issue was discussed.

A student performance at the school recently had included an anti-palm oil video produced by global environmental group Greenpeace.

“The students merely copied the roles depicted in the video,” said Kok.

She said the school administrators were “very surprised” to learn about the health benefits of palm oil.

“I also told them oil palm became controversial because it is a high-productivity crop. It became a stiff competitor to other edible oils, and a threat to those with vested interests.

“If there is no oil palm in the world, with the growth of the world population, nations would have to clear more forests to grow low-productivity oil crops to meet global needs.

“I truly appreciate their visit… The humility and sincerity they showed is undeniable proof that they are indeed a good group of professionals.

“I hope this incident will spur engagement with other international schools.” – July 6, 2019.