SINGAPORE — The promising life of Jenna Chan, a bright and spirited 15-year-old student at St. Joseph’s Institution International (SJII), was cut short on 8 November 2024 during a school-led snorkeling expedition near Dhigurah island in the Maldives. Jenna was participating in a National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) programme in partnership with the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme when she was fatally struck by a boat’s propeller while in the water.
The incident shocked the SJII school community and ignited a wider conversation about the safety of overseas trips conducted by privately funded schools in Singapore. Jenna’s family and the public continue to seek accountability as investigations by Maldivian authorities remain unresolved, eight months after the tragedy. An internal review by SJII also remains incomplete, pending cooperation from Maldivian officials.
Jenna was known among her peers and teachers as deeply compassionate, intellectually curious, and emotionally mature beyond her years. Friends described her as “sunshine”—always warm, smiling, and selfless. She aspired to one day become a geriatrician to care for elderly patients, reflecting her innate kindness and purpose-driven mindset.
Yet her death has grown into a national reckoning. With Maldivian findings still unavailable, and Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE) stating it will not investigate SJII due to its privately funded status, Jenna’s father, Alan Chan, has become a vocal advocate for reform. He launched a petition on Change.org demanding greater oversight of Privately Funded Schools (PFS), calling for mandatory safety reporting standards and independent audits of school-led expeditions.
“No regulator. No oversight. No protection,” he wrote, adding that SJII had resumed international trips while his family continues to grieve without answers. The school has defended its protocols, asserting that it followed standard procedures in authorising the Maldives trip and is now working with other international schools and MOE to improve sector-wide safety practices.
Despite these assurances, many parents remain uneasy. SJII has resumed overseas trips as of mid-2025, including expeditions to India, Japan, Malaysia, and other destinations. Concerns persist about whether provider vetting has meaningfully improved, and whether lessons from Jenna’s death have truly informed current practices.
What began as a heartbreaking accident has evolved into a case study in institutional responsibility, regulatory oversight, and the limits of jurisdiction when incidents occur abroad. The tragedy has fueled widespread coverage across mainstream media, dominated Facebook feeds, and prompted AI-generated top stories profiling policy gaps in international education safety.
