Police arrest teacher filmed ill-treating children at Woodlands pre-school

[UPDATE Aug 29]

The police arrested a 33-year-old woman on Tuesday (Aug 29) for her suspected involvement in a case of ill treatment of children.

The police said they received a report on Monday afternoon regarding videos circulating online showing a pre-school teacher allegedly abusing young children.

She will be charged in court on Wednesday with the offence of ill-treatment of child or young person. If convicted, she will face a jail term of up to eight years, a fine of up to $8,000, or both.

Meanwhile, an ECDA spokesperson told AsiaOne that the government agency is aware of the incident and it is investigating the case.

ECDA noted that the teacher involved has been dismissed by the pre-school and said that it is unable to comment further as the case is now under investigation.

The spokesperson added: "ECDA has instructed the pre-school operator to provide close guidance and support to their teachers in classroom management and will continue to work closely with the centre to ensure the safety and well-being of enrolled children."

The agency said that it takes a serious view towards any case of child mismanagement and stressed that the safety and well-being of children in pre-schools is of utmost importance.

"ECDA follows up on every alleged child mismanagement incident, such as through unannounced visits to preschools, interviews and verification of records. Immediate actions will be taken if our findings support the allegation," the spokesperson said.

The agency added that it will act on false reports and "pre-school operators are reminded through regular briefings and circulars to ensure vigilant supervision of children, and to provide guidance and support to teachers on classroom management".

A pre-school teacher who was filmed rough-handling several children has been dismissed, said Sembawang GRC MP Poh Li San.

In a Facebook post on Monday (Aug 28), Poh wrote that she understood the "concerns and worries" of residents and parents of children attending Kinderland @Woodlands Mart, after videos of a teacher "rough-handling and smacking children" started circulating online.

"Such unprofessional acts certainly cannot be condoned and the staff must be brought to task," Poh added.

"I understand that the teacher has been dismissed and investigations by Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the police are currently ongoing."

Poh added that she is assisting parents of affected children and urged them to send her a private message or email.

Several video clips posted in a Facebook group earlier on Monday showed a pre-school teacher manhandling several children at a Woodlands preschool.

On separate occasions, the teacher can be seen repeatedly striking a child's bottom with a book, forcefully pulling a crying boy's head back to feed him water and pinching a girl who refused water before making her lie down to force-feed her.

AsiaOne has contacted ECDA for more information.

ALSO READ: Mum shocked after son returns home from pre-school with bruised face and gash on arm

lim.kewei@asiaone.com