Police investigating after 5-year-old girl allegedly kicked by preschool teacher

Source: CNA

SINGAPORE: The police are investigating after a 5-year-old girl was allegedly kicked in the shin by a preschool teacher.

A spokesperson for the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) told CNA on Thursday (Jun 6) the incident occurred on Apr 2.

CNA understands that the girl was kicked in the shin as the teacher wanted to make her sit properly.

The agency was alerted on Apr 3 and after conducting its investigations, the childcare centre "immediately suspended the teacher from preschool duties". The preschool was not named in accordance with the Children and Young Persons Act.

The teacher subsequently resigned and has not worked in the preschool sector since, ECDA said.

"ECDA has concluded investigations, and taken regulatory actions against the preschool operator and teacher involved," it added.

"As police investigations are ongoing, we are unable to comment further on the case details."

In response to CNA's queries, the police said that a report has been lodged and that investigations are currently ongoing.

Preschools are required to report to ECDA all serious incidents that impact the safety of children and their staff within 24 hours of the occurrence of the incident, the agency said.

ECDA added that it follows up on alleged child mismanagement incidents through unannounced visits to preschools, interviews and verification of records, and "immediate actions" will be taken if the findings support the allegations.

The agency also stressed that it requires all preschool operators to have "systemic measures" to keep children safe.

This includes ensuring that child-safe policies and procedures are consistently and effectively implemented.

"Preschools must also ensure that their educators use developmentally appropriate methods to interact with children," ECDA said.

Preschool operators have to seek the agency's approval before hiring educators, which checks that the applicant holds the required qualifications.

Applicants also have to declare that they have not committed offences, received warnings from the police or ECDA, or are under police investigation.

"Individuals with a previous conviction for offences involving ill-treatment of children will not be allowed to work in the preschool sector," an ECDA spokesperson told CNA in August last year.

There are around 10 substantiated cases of child mismanagement per 100,000 enrolled children each year, and that figure has remained stable over recent years.

Last year, videos of teachers allegedly rough-handling children at two Kinderland preschools went viral on social media.

One of them, Lin Min, 34, was charged last year with ill-treating a 23-month-old girl. She was handed fresh charges involving three other children in February.

The other former preschool teacher was given a conditional warning by the police.