Parents withdraw their children from Woodlands preschool after videos of alleged abuse by teacher

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.