SINGAPORE – Kinderland Singapore on Wednesday barred its staff from using personal devices during teaching hours with immediate effect, with the move drawing ire from online commenters.
The pre-school has come under fire this week following the circulation of secretly filmed viral videos showing the alleged abuse of children by teachers on its premises – two of whom have since been arrested.
“To safeguard our children’s privacy, Kinderland has in place company-issued devices to manage all communications with parents. This includes sharing photos and videos through a Pre-School Management App to inform parents of their child’s progress,” said Kinderland Singapore in a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday at 7.30pm.
“Kinderland reiterates using the Pre-School Management App with authorised company-issued devices.
“To also prevent the misuse of photos and videos of our children, Kinderland will now make it a policy that staff not use their personal devices during teaching hours. We hope that these measures will better protect all.”
Commenters on its Facebook post reacted negatively to the statement.
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“The recent cases were not about infringing the children’s privacy; if you thought it was, then you are entirely missing the point,” said Facebook user Germaine Chan.
According to a screenshot seen by The Straits Times, Kinderland Singapore had apparently published an earlier, differently worded Facebook post at about 5.20pm.
On social media platform Reddit, user OkTaro8212 posted a screenshot of what appears to be Kinderland Singapore’s earlier statement.
“As a parent, it just irks me to my core,” said OkTaro8212, adding that the incidents were uncovered by a whistle-blower using a personal phone.
On Wednesday, the Early Childhood Development Agency said that the centre leader and operator of a Kinderland pre-school branch are being investigated over their roles in a case involving the alleged abuse of children.
A 33-year-old woman was arrested on Monday after a police report was made over a viral video showing a teacher allegedly pouring water into a 23-month-old girl’s mouth after forcing her to lie down. She was charged on Wednesday with ill-treating a child.
Following the circulation of the viral videos, some parents have withdrawn their children from the branch.
A group of parents are also calling for the principal of the school to be fired and barred from working in the pre-school sector, criticising her for not doing enough in the alleged abuse incidents and not taking their complaints seriously.
A second Kinderland pre-school teacher, 48, was arrested on Tuesday after a report was made about a video circulating online – believed to have been filmed at a Kinderland pre-school at Sunshine Place in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3 – in which she is seen allegedly hitting a young boy.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
