SINGAPORE: Some parents have withdrawn their children from Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart after videos of a teacher allegedly abusing children there surfaced on social media.
In two videos, the teacher can be seen handling children roughly as she tries to force them to drink water.
One shows a child wailing loudly as she tries to hold their head back. Another shows the woman placing a child on the floor and appearing to pour water into their mouth while they are lying down.
In the third video, the teacher is seen shouting at a child and hitting them multiple times with a book.
When CNA visited the school on Tuesday (Aug 29), three people, of whom two were wearing police lanyards, were let into the centre at around 12.20pm. They declined to comment when approached by the media.
The 33-year-old teacher has been arrested, said the police later on Tuesday in a news release.
Plainclothes police officers at the Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart on Tuesday, August, 29, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Hamidah Amin)
A father who on Tuesday morning spoke to CNA on the condition of anonymity said he has given a notice of withdrawal for his 10-month-old that morning.
He said he was already not comfortable with the school based on his own experiences, like when his daughter contracted hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and he found out that other parents were not informed.
According to him, the principal told him that the school only needs to inform other parents when there are two cases of HFMD in the school, but he said the episode left him with a bad impression.
“The news about this case affirmed my suspicions,” he said. His child has been in the school for about seven months, and he believes the teacher in question was in charge of his child’s infant care class.
Ms Moon Tan, a mother of two, also told CNA on Tuesday that she has withdrawn her younger daughter from the school on Monday after she learnt about the incident.
Ms Tan’s daughter, who was enrolled earlier this year and was in that teacher's class, is in one of the videos although she “was not being abused in the video”.
But the 32-year-old recalled “a couple of times" her daughter "came out (of class) crying for no reason” when she picked her up, she said. She “firmly believes” her daughter had been abused too.
She added that her daughter is unable to communicate yet so she wasn’t able to ask her what happened.
While Ms Tan said she feels “this school is no longer safe”, her elder child will continue to go there as she is graduating in a few months.
“It's just rage, it's totally unacceptable. Very heart pain to see those torture on small kids,” she told CNA about her reaction to the videos.
When Ms Tan asked to withdraw her younger daughter from the school, they “immediately” sent her a withdrawal link for her to fill up a form, without asking further questions, she said.
Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart pictured on Aug 29, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Hanidah Amin)
On Monday night, the school posted a letter on the parents’ portal addressing the circulating videos. The letter, seen by CNA, was written by Ms Mahirah Yasid, the preschool principal.
It stated that the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the police have stepped in to conduct their own investigations on the matter, and that the school has dismissed the teacher in question.
“We have also reached out to the parents of the affected children and apologised deeply to the parents and children,” she said.
“We are profoundly grateful to parents who have accepted our apology and remedial measures, to which they have our fullest assurance that we continue to place the utmost priority on the welfare of children under our care.”
She added that she and the teachers "remain committed to upholding this trust you have placed in us and we will continue to work together constructively for our children to grow holistically”.
Kinderland Singapore's most recent Facebook post dated Aug 21 drew a number of angry comments from people who had seen the videos.
"We have received your feedback. At this time, we ask for privacy for the affected families," said Kinderland Singapore in a comment at about 7.10pm on Monday.
Ms Tan said that she did not receive a personal apology from the school. She added that if not for the videos, parents might not have known about the incidents.
Any incidents of other children who may have received similar treatment from the teacher were “not being brought up”.
She shared that other parents have also requested for an “immediate withdrawal” of their child from the school with “no waiting period”.
An ECDA spokesperson said in a statement on Monday night that the agency was unable to comment further on the details of the case as investigations are ongoing. However, the spokesperson said that the teacher had been fired.
The spokesperson added that the safety and well-being of children in preschools is of utmost importance, and that ECDA "takes a serious view towards any case of child mismanagement".
The teacher will be charged in court on Wednesday with ill-treating a child. If found guilty, she faces a jail term of up to eight years, a fine of up to S$8,000 (US$5,900), or both.
Continue reading...
In two videos, the teacher can be seen handling children roughly as she tries to force them to drink water.
One shows a child wailing loudly as she tries to hold their head back. Another shows the woman placing a child on the floor and appearing to pour water into their mouth while they are lying down.
In the third video, the teacher is seen shouting at a child and hitting them multiple times with a book.
When CNA visited the school on Tuesday (Aug 29), three people, of whom two were wearing police lanyards, were let into the centre at around 12.20pm. They declined to comment when approached by the media.
The 33-year-old teacher has been arrested, said the police later on Tuesday in a news release.
Plainclothes police officers at the Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart on Tuesday, August, 29, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Hamidah Amin)
"TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE"
A father who on Tuesday morning spoke to CNA on the condition of anonymity said he has given a notice of withdrawal for his 10-month-old that morning.
He said he was already not comfortable with the school based on his own experiences, like when his daughter contracted hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and he found out that other parents were not informed.
According to him, the principal told him that the school only needs to inform other parents when there are two cases of HFMD in the school, but he said the episode left him with a bad impression.
“The news about this case affirmed my suspicions,” he said. His child has been in the school for about seven months, and he believes the teacher in question was in charge of his child’s infant care class.
Related:
Ms Moon Tan, a mother of two, also told CNA on Tuesday that she has withdrawn her younger daughter from the school on Monday after she learnt about the incident.
Ms Tan’s daughter, who was enrolled earlier this year and was in that teacher's class, is in one of the videos although she “was not being abused in the video”.
But the 32-year-old recalled “a couple of times" her daughter "came out (of class) crying for no reason” when she picked her up, she said. She “firmly believes” her daughter had been abused too.
She added that her daughter is unable to communicate yet so she wasn’t able to ask her what happened.
While Ms Tan said she feels “this school is no longer safe”, her elder child will continue to go there as she is graduating in a few months.
“It's just rage, it's totally unacceptable. Very heart pain to see those torture on small kids,” she told CNA about her reaction to the videos.
When Ms Tan asked to withdraw her younger daughter from the school, they “immediately” sent her a withdrawal link for her to fill up a form, without asking further questions, she said.
Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart pictured on Aug 29, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Hanidah Amin)
LETTER BY SCHOOL ON PARENTS’ PORTAL
On Monday night, the school posted a letter on the parents’ portal addressing the circulating videos. The letter, seen by CNA, was written by Ms Mahirah Yasid, the preschool principal.
It stated that the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the police have stepped in to conduct their own investigations on the matter, and that the school has dismissed the teacher in question.
“We have also reached out to the parents of the affected children and apologised deeply to the parents and children,” she said.
“We are profoundly grateful to parents who have accepted our apology and remedial measures, to which they have our fullest assurance that we continue to place the utmost priority on the welfare of children under our care.”
She added that she and the teachers "remain committed to upholding this trust you have placed in us and we will continue to work together constructively for our children to grow holistically”.
Kinderland Singapore's most recent Facebook post dated Aug 21 drew a number of angry comments from people who had seen the videos.
"We have received your feedback. At this time, we ask for privacy for the affected families," said Kinderland Singapore in a comment at about 7.10pm on Monday.
Ms Tan said that she did not receive a personal apology from the school. She added that if not for the videos, parents might not have known about the incidents.
Any incidents of other children who may have received similar treatment from the teacher were “not being brought up”.
She shared that other parents have also requested for an “immediate withdrawal” of their child from the school with “no waiting period”.
An ECDA spokesperson said in a statement on Monday night that the agency was unable to comment further on the details of the case as investigations are ongoing. However, the spokesperson said that the teacher had been fired.
The spokesperson added that the safety and well-being of children in preschools is of utmost importance, and that ECDA "takes a serious view towards any case of child mismanagement".
The teacher will be charged in court on Wednesday with ill-treating a child. If found guilty, she faces a jail term of up to eight years, a fine of up to S$8,000 (US$5,900), or both.
Continue reading...