A woman, aged 33, has been arrested by the police for her alleged participation in child maltreatment. Authorities confirmed her arrest on Tuesday (August 29) following reports of a Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart teacher supposedly inflicting abuse on young kids.
Earlier reports have only indicated that the police were investigating the case. Apparently, one of the reports came from one of the parents.
The police revealed that after conducting subsequent investigations, they were able to determine the woman’s identity and consequently arrested her.
She is scheduled to be formally charged in court tomorrow (30 August 2023) for ill-treating a child or young person.
If convicted, she could face a maximum of eight years in prison, a fine not exceeding S$8,000 or both.
Ms Li, The Teacher in Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart
A mother, who wished to remain anonymous, disclosed that her two-year-old daughter was visible in the video footage, being coerced to drink water
The principal of Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart had informed her a fortnight ago about Ms Li, the teacher, “mishandling her daughter.”
The principal had allegedly downplayed the incident, stating that Ms Li had somewhat forcefully made the child drink water, but it wasn’t severe.
Ms Li had also assured the parents that she had no intention of causing harm, leading them to not overthink the situation.
However, upon viewing the videos that went viral yesterday (28 August 2023), the mother was shocked and felt that the school had trivialized the incident.
She filed a police report on Monday and subsequently visited the preschool for an explanation. She was informed that Ms Li had been terminated earlier that day and is now considering enrolling her daughter in a different nearby preschool.
Kinderland, the preschool in question, has not issued a public statement about the incident but requested privacy for the affected families in a Facebook comment.
The incident came to light on 28 August 2023, when three separate videos posted on Facebook went viral for all the wrong reasons.
The first video depicted the preschool teacher pulling a child’s head back while attempting to force-feed him water. After failing in her attempt, she laughingly commented that it was impossible to do with just one hand, as the child struggled and cried before eventually drinking water by himself.
The second video featured the same teacher trying to make a female student drink water. Apparently frustrated by the child’s refusal, Ms Li forced the girl to lie down and poured water down her throat, causing her to cough and cry.
In the final video, Ms Li was seen berating and striking a male toddler’s bottom with a hardcover book.
The videos have elicited a multitude of reactions, including from the MP from that area, Poh Li San.
Additionally, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is conducting its own investigation into the matter. However, a spokesperson for the agency stated that they could not provide any more details at this time.