In the past several days, at least two teachers at Kinderland Singapore have been arrested over allegations of abuse at its preschools in Choa Chu Kang and Woodlands.
On Thursday (31 Aug), another parent came out with more damning accusations, claiming that a teacher had belted kids to their seats to keep them from moving.
Source: Childcare in Singapore on Facebook
Posting on the Childcare in Singapore Facebook group, the OP said she pulled her son out of Kinderland @ Sunshine Place after finding out about the incidents.
The mother said she decided to share her own story after learning about another abuse case at her child’s preschool.
A teacher at Kinderland @ Sunshine Place at Choa Chu Kang was arrested after a video showing her abusing a student went viral on social media.
While the teacher in that case was a Chinese teacher, the incident the OP wanted to bring to light involved her son’s English teacher.
In April this year, the OP said she saw an update on the school app.
When she zoomed into the image, she noticed something on her son’s pants. Another boy appeared to have a belt around his waist as well.
Understandably furious, the OP quickly contacted the principal to ask for an explanation.
The principal then purportedly explained that her son refused to sit down for a group photo and was pushing the chair around.
To stop the boy from moving, the English teacher took a belt from the infant class and belted him down.
Source: Childcare in Singapore on Facebook
The principal then claimed it was the first time she had heard of this, saying that the belt had only been used on her son for two weeks during English class.
What’s more, the principal allegedly even said that the boy liked the belt whenever it was used in class and laughed.
“Is that going to make me feel better?” the OP asked. “It’s so dangerous if he wants to come out of the chair and might fall flat on his face!”
The OP further said that she “thankfully” managed to pull her son out of the preschool by June.
She mentioned that she also wrote to the HQ and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).
However, she claimed that “it’s just the same PR answers”, apologies, and reassurances that the teachers meant no harm.
According to her, the ECDA said they’ll investigate and the case was closed. But the teacher apparently still works there.
Some netizens apparently did not see anything wrong with the belting practice, saying that it’s commonly done to infants in high chairs and patients in hospital beds.
In response, the OP pointed out that this is a completely different case.
For instance, the belts used on infants are not meant to be used on toddlers like her son.
Source: Childcare in Singapore on Facebook
She also edited her original post to point out that the plastic chair her son was sitting on was light and not sturdy.
Therefore, if he were to lean forward to get out of the chair while being belted down, he could easily fall and injure himself.
What’s more, children are naturally curious and will want to roam around, so one can’t expect them to sit down for long.
The OP also acknowledged that not every teacher in the school is problematic.
Other teachers seem fine, and the ones working in infant care are particularly “lovely and kind”.
“It’s just unfortunate I had to chance upon this incident with [the English] teacher at this outlet,” she wrote.
MS News has reached out to Kinderland for a statement and will update this article when they get back.
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Featured image adapted from Childcare in Singapore on Facebook.
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