A 56-year-old ex preschool teacher has been charged in court for kicking a four-year-old girl, an incident that reportedly took place three months ago.
According to Channel News Asia, the woman faces one count of ill-treating a child under her care, specifically for kicking the child on the ‘right shin’ around 11:55 AM on April 2.
The incident led to her immediate suspension from the preschool, after which she resigned.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) confirmed that she has not worked in the preschool sector since the alleged abuse occurred.
ECDA was said it was alerted to the incident on April 3.
The childcare center suspended the teacher from preschool responsibilities following the completion of its investigation.
According to ST, the ECDA spokesperson said : “The errant teacher subsequently resigned and to date, she has not been working in the pre-school sector.”
Past reports indicate that the teacher resorted to kicking the child in an attempt to make her sit properly. As the case progresses, the woman’s identity remains confidential due to a gag order imposed by the court, which also prevents the publication of any details that could identify the victim, including the location of the incident.
During the proceedings on Wednesday, the woman did not indicate how she would plead.
However, her defense team announced plans to request access to closed-circuit television footage of the incident to support their case. She is scheduled to return to court in September.
If found guilty of ill-treating a child under the Children and Young Persons Act, the former teacher faces severe penalties that could include up to eight years of imprisonment, fines reaching S$8,000, or both.
The ECDA has taken regulatory actions against the preschool where the incident took place, in light of this and other recent reports of alleged abuse in preschool settings.
As a response to these growing concerns, the agency has mandated that all preschools must install closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems to enhance monitoring and ensure the safety of children.
