Parents whose daughter, 15, was killed by boat propeller during school trip to Maldives lash out at way school have treated them and reveal 'devastating' moment teachers' actions left them stunned

When Jennifer Liauw and Alan Chan said goodbye to their daughter Jenna, 15, as she left for a week-long compulsory school expedition to the Maldives, they never imagined it would be the last time they would see her. To the British-Singaporean couple, it was 'just another school trip', but their world was turned upside down when on November 8, 2024, they received a call from Jenna's school, telling them she had died after being struck by a boat propeller. But two years on since her death, the grief-stricken parents say their questions are not fully answered surrounding the tragic accident that took their daughter away from them. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Mrs Liauw and Mr Chan have described the agonising journey they have endured as they continue to search for answers from Jenna's school – and claim it was callous of staff to send an email, which they feel glossed over their daughter's death. Earlier this year, the couple filed a negligence claim in the General Division of the High Court of Singapore against the international school that she attended in Singapore, St Joseph's Institution International Ltd (SJII). While litigation was not their preferred path, Jenna's parents say the claim follows nearly two years of seeking accountability through other channels. Her parents say they had not taken the decision to send Jenna on the expedition lightly, and had even carried out their own risk assessment before selecting the Maldives trip from 12 available options. British schoolgirl Jenna Chan died during a school trip to the Maldives in November 2024 From left: Mr Alan Chan, Dr Jennifer Liauw, their daughter Jenna, and her sister AliceThey added: 'We did ask questions about it. There were briefings, and we were reassured by what was explained to us. We trusted the school and the information we were given.'With all of that in mind, we thought there wasn't really a problem. It was just another school trip. It was mandatory, so Jenna didn't really have a choice.' What they know is that Jenna was snorkelling with the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP), a British registered charity. Jenna and her peers were entering the water when the boat started moving and struck her, which resulted in her getting caught in the propeller. But according to her mother, 'nobody has really provided us with any kind of official account of what happened', and the family's questions about how the situation unfolded have not been made clear. 'We have had to pursue information ourselves through lawyers, investigators and authorities in the Maldives, UK and Singapore... two years later, we still do not have a complete, independently established account of what happened.'The last time Jenna's parents saw her was at home before she left for her school trip. 'We had a big hug in the living room, as we normally did before she went to school or anywhere else,' Mrs Liauw recalls. 'Then she said, "See you Saturday", and that was it.'Once the students boarded the plane, their phones were taken away, meaning there was no further direct communication between Jenna and her family. Her parents continued to receive daily updates from the school about the trip, including photographs of the students.'We didn't necessarily know what Jenna had been doing throughout the day, but, of course, you assume that no news is good news,' they said.But on November 8, Mrs Liauw and Mr Chan knew something was wrong when they had multiple missed calls from the school. When they finally got through to the headmaster, they were told the devastating news that their daughter had died.They rushed to the school demanding answers, and as they sat in the headmaster's office, feeling like their questions were being 'dismissed', their phones pinged as they received a cruel email that tore them apart. It was the usual daily update, with a message about what the students had been doing. It included a photograph of Jenna from the morning they went out on the snorkelling excursion. Mrs Liauw said: 'We hadn't even had time to process what had happened, and then this routine update arrived as though everything was normal. 'I was completely devastated. Receiving that email felt like another stab in the heart.'It was another completely inappropriate communication at an already devastating time.'It just seemed to be one mistake after another, one misunderstanding after another, and one miscommunication after another.'You start asking yourself, "How much more? How much more?" How could such a mistake have been made? Surely the priority should have been dealing with what had just happened.''To this day, we haven't received a direct condolence email addressed to us as a family, nor have we received an official account of what happened,' she added.The couple also say there was a delay in them being informed that their daughter had been involved in a terrible accident, and that some parents knew about Jenna's death before they did. Mrs Liauw said: 'One parent told me that they had known about Jenna's death before we were informed. 'She told me that they had received the information at around 1.30, whereas we were contacted at 2.18. That was approximately 45 minutes earlier.'She explained that the students weren't supposed to have their phones, but some had brought second phones with them... One or two students managed to call their parents, who then found out what had happened.'They also later learned from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the school's chief operating officer had positioned himself as the 'main point of contact' on the family's behalf, which they say they never agreed to. Jenna pictured on the day she travelled to the Maldives Alice and Jenna with their father AlanThe High Court claim filed by Jenna's parents in July alleges serious failures in the school's basic duty of care to students participating in mandatory activities. It also raises broader questions around overseas school trip safety and the role of MWSRP, the UK charity engaged by the school to facilitate the fatal expedition.On the morning of the tragedy, her parents allege that all three MWSRP guides left the vessel to check on a dolphin.According to their Statement of Claim, the boat's engine was engaged while Jenna and another student were in the water.The parents allege that the guides were also in the water – far from the boat – when Jenna was struck by its propeller.The guides had to be returned to the boat with the assistance of a nearby vessel, they added.The parents claim that the expedition guides failed to provide adequate supervision, and left the SJII students who were under their care unattended.At the time of the incident, none of the guides were close enough to supervise the students' entry into the water, or, after the incident, render timely assistance to Jenna, they allege.After Jenna was struck by the propeller, MWSRP and the boat crew onboard failed to take reasonable steps to render potentially life-saving assistance to her, they claim.This included failing to contact appropriate emergency medical services such as the Maldives Coast Guard or sea ambulance services to expedite her transfer to a hospital, or to provide adequate first aid or trauma management during transit.The vessel lacked emergency contact information, procedures or signage, they claim, and was not fitted with a propeller guard despite the known risk of propeller injuries.It allegedly didn't carry adequate first aid and trauma response equipment, such as emergency oxygen, which reportedly had to be obtained after the incident by a neighbouring diving boat.Jenna's parents have accused the school of negligence, as well as those it relied on to deliver the expedition, including MWSRP, the captain and boat crew.According to their claim, the school failed to properly vet the Maldives as a destination, despite what they describe as a documented pattern of marine tourism fatalities in the same waters, including a fatal propeller incident in the year before Jenna's death.The school also failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that MWSRP was a suitable and qualified vendor to run excursions for schoolchildren, the parents claim.They added that SJII didn't take reasonable steps to ensure that the place where the marine activities would be conducted was safe for a school outdoor education programme.Despite this, SJII gave parents and students repeated safety assurances which were allegedly not borne out, including that the school had 'all emergency procedures in place' for 'every single scenario that can happen'.The parents said that the school failed to ensure adequate supervision of its students at the critical moment. Jenna's parents told the Daily Mail they have been forced to piece together the circumstances surrounding her death themselves The claim also alleges that the school refused to share information on its ongoing investigations, or to work with the family to investigate the circumstances leading to Jenna's death. For the couple, the most distressing aspect of the past two years has been what they describe as the continued absence of a clear explanation of how their daughter died. They say they have been forced to piece together the circumstances themselves, speaking to other students and their parents, private investigators and seeking information from authorities. 'Through those efforts, we managed to obtain information about how the location was set up, who was running it, who the boat operator was and various other details.'All of this was information we had expected the school to provide.'They added: 'Even if there is an ongoing legal dispute, you should still be able to say, "This is what happened, this was the situation and this is what took place".'Dr Michael Johnston, chief executive officer of St Joseph's Institution International, told the Daily Mail: 'The school denies the allegations stated in the claim, which have misattributed fault to the school. As such, the school has retained legal counsel to defend the claim. 'The school had previously conveyed its position to Jenna’s parents, reasserting that it does not agree that there are valid claims against the school, and that it was the boat captain’s act of putting the vessel into reverse after Jenna had entered the water that caused the incident. 'The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme Ltd (MWSRP) was an independent contractor who planned, organised and supervised the trip to the Maldives. The MWSRP is a charity registered in the UK that is dedicated to studying whale sharks in the Maldives and has organised multiple expeditions to the Maldives including for various schools in Singapore and other countries. 'The school has obtained permission from the Singapore High Court to issue a third-party notice to the MWSRP, and will seek an indemnity from the MWSRP in relation to any liability arising from Jenna’s death and injuries. The MWSRP will therefore have to account for the acts and omissions of its guides and the boat captain and crew.'The school maintains that it is not liable for the negligence of the MWSRP.'Dr Johnson went on to say that the school had informed Jenna’s parents that it denies any suggestion that the school was withholding information from them.'The school had taken steps to obtain information from the MWSRP and the Maldivian authorities who were investigating the incident, but did not receive any response to its requests or any such information. The school has reached out to Jenna’s parents on numerous occasions and remains open to meeting with them when they are ready. We are deeply mindful of their immense loss and strive to be respectful and sensitive in every way possible.'The loss of Jenna was a tragedy, and our hearts remain with her family. As a school, we continue to offer them our unwavering support and hold them in our thoughts and prayers every day.' Jenna's parents have also raised concerns over the fact that the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) previously announced that it would not investigate SJII’s management over the incident because SJII, as a privately funded school with autonomy over its operations, policies and governance, had adhered to its safety processes for overseas trips.The parents say they have been left caught between different jurisdictions, with authorities in Singapore and the UK telling them that a coroner's investigation could not take place because of where Jenna died. They also say that when they approached Singapore's ministry of education, they were told the matter was outside its remit.'Everybody says it is outside their scope, and consequently, nobody actually does anything,' they said.Mrs Liauw and Mr Chan say they believe there should be greater independent oversight of schools and their responsibility for children taking part in compulsory overseas activities.They said: 'A school is not simply a corporation or a business. It is dealing with minors and vulnerable people, much like we deal with patients.'There should be a standard of humanity and compassion that goes beyond corporate liability and legal considerations.'Mrs Liauw added: 'I believe humanity should come first, rather than hiding behind a wall of silence and legalities.'That is something we haven't received from the school. We expected it, particularly from an educational institution, but it simply hasn't happened.'They say their motivation for pursuing the claim is ultimately to establish what happened and help ensure that another family does not suffer the same fate.The couple added: 'Jenna loved the school. She loved her friends, and she loved being there. She would want us to make sure that her friends and fellow students are safe.'Nothing can bring Jenna back, but if this is genuinely the legal position, then it needs to form part of a parent's decision-making process.'They continued: 'We want accountability. For us, that means the school has to be prepared to explain what happened. We're not necessarily saying that we're blaming them. It's a straightforward request: what happened?'They say the experience has devastated their family.Mr Chan said: 'This tragedy has completely destroyed us. It's affected us as individuals and as a family.'The devastation is unimaginable and indescribable. It's affected us, Jenna's sister and even my elderly parents. Their health has deteriorated significantly.'The repercussions and consequences are simply impossible to put into words.'But the most painful reminder of their loss remains inside their family home, where Jenna's bedroom has been left untouched.Her parents say they have not moved her belongings. They continue to clean her things, change her bedsheets and keep her phone charged.They said: 'It's almost as though we're waiting for her to come home. It's as though she simply went away on a trip and hasn't come back.'A lot of the time, even though it's been two years, we still can't believe it's happened.'Some days, we have to pinch ourselves because we still can't believe this is real. It's just so unimaginable.'We're barely coping. Actually, we're not coping. We're just existing.''We can't change the situation we're in, but hopefully we can help prevent somebody else from becoming a bereaved parent.'It's the worst club anyone could ever have to join, and we don't want anyone else to experience it.'