Pre-school teacher fired for rough-handling kids

A pre-school where a man was previously charged with outrage of modesty has now fired a teacher in a separate incident involving the rough-handling of children.

On Sept 8, an anonymous report of child mismanagement by a teacher was made to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).

In the course of investigations, ECDA found evidence on Sept 13 and informed the pre-school to remove the teacher from care and teaching duties, the agency told The Straits Times.

The pre-school terminated her employment on Sept 20, and ECDA said the woman will not be allowed to work at other pre-schools.

A letter to parents from the pre-school’s principal seen by ST said the incident involved the Playgroup class, which is for children aged 18 months to two years old.

A police report has been lodged, and investigations are ongoing.

The centre was previously involved in a case of outrage of modesty in 2023, and cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity.

In December 2023, a 59-year-old man was charged in court with one count of using criminal force on a person below 14 years old with intent to outrage modesty. The case involved a two-year-old girl who was allegedly molested in the pre-school by the man, a non-teaching staff member.

In a statement issued to ST for the latest incident of rough-handling, a spokesman for the pre-school said it is working closely with ECDA on the matter and apologised for the incident.

He said: “This is an unfortunate incident. The parents have been informed.”

Parents of the affected children were briefed by the pre-school on Sept 21 on what happened to their children, how the incident was spotted, and action that has been taken, he added.

The spokesman said the meetings went well, and the parents appreciated the centre’s transparency.

Additional measures have since been taken, like counselling for staff members and art therapy for children. All teachers have also been reminded of the standard protocols for how to manage children, he added.

“We are sorry that this has happened.”

The spokesman said the pre-school has a total of 75 CCTV cameras, and regularly reviews footage as part of work processes.

In a footage review on Sept 3, the centre’s principal spotted an action by the teacher involved in the case, and addressed it with her. The incident of rough-handling involving the same teacher was later discovered while viewing more footage on Sept 18.

Many parents from the pre-school declined to speak to ST.

One father, who declined to be named, said that while the incident was concerning, he was satisfied with how the centre handled it.

He said: “I was concerned, but I also do not think it is the school’s fault. Cases of bad teachers could happen in any pre-school. What is important is how it is dealt with.”

Another parent, who also requested to be anonymous, said that having CCTV cameras in a pre-school centre helps parents build trust.

All pre-schools were required to have CCTVs installed by July 1, as part of a mandate by ECDA.

“Having surveillance in the school provides me some comfort at least,” the parent said.

ECDA said that it follows up on alleged child mismanagement incidents through unannounced visits to pre-schools, interviews, review of CCTV camera footage and verification of records.

The agency said it requires all pre-school operators to have systemic measures to keep children safe, which includes ensuring that child-safe policies and procedures are consistently and effectively implemented.

Parents or staff members who have concerns about child management should report the matter to the pre-school operator, or they can make a report of suspected child mismanagement in a pre-school to ECDA at contact@ecda.gov.sg