Parents lodge police report against Aljunied pre-school after finding mysterious bruises on toddler

Parents of a 20-month-old girl who attended a pre-school in Aljunied have lodged a police report against the school after their child suffered various bruises on at least two occasions.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Ms Cai said her daughter started attending a pre-school in Aljunied Link Road on Oct 3.

Less than two weeks later, the school informed them that a teacher had found a scar on her thigh while changing her diaper. They said her daughter had probably scratched herself.

Ms Cai found this suspicious, as self-inflicted scratches typically do not leave behind such big marks. “Plus, I trim her nails every two or three days,” she added.

On Oct 26, the pre-school informed them that their daughter had a fall, hitting her chin and biting her tongue in the process. 

When Ms Cai was bathing her daughter the day after, she found more bruises – on her forehead, chin and inner thighs. 

She said she was especially concerned about the bruise on the inner thighs, suspecting that they were caused by pinches. 

When they raised the matter with the school, a teacher said she had seen the injury as well, but assumed it was an old one caused by her family.

“We thought the situation was serious and decided to call the police,” Ms Cai said.

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Contacted MOE

The principal of the pre-school told Shin Min that Ms Cai was unhappy once with the way a teacher had held her daughter. She then indicated that the child would no longer be attending the school, but her enrollment still continued.

The principal said she contacted the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Early Childhood Development Agency over the matter on Oct 27.

According to the pre-school, CCTV footage did not reveal any incidents of the child sustaining blows to her forehead or thighs.

When the child’s parents suggested that it might have happened in a toilet, where there is no CCTV, the principal countered that footage of the corridor outside the toilet showed the child to be “in a stable mood, with no evidence of tears”.

“If she was really abused, she (would) have cried out… but we have all handed it over to the authorities for investigation,” the principal added.

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This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.