Kinderland Woodlands Mart preschool to get new principal; CCTVs installed in classrooms

SINGAPORE: A new principal will join Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart in the coming week, said representatives of the school management on Saturday (Sep 2), adding that closed-circuit television cameras have been installed in all classrooms.

During meetings with parents on Saturday, Kinderland also apologised to parents for the “gaps in communication” after videos of a teacher allegedly abusing children were circulated online this week.

The teacher, 33-year-old Lin Min, was fired and arrested on Monday. She was charged on Wednesday, accused of ill-treating a child by forcing her to lie down before pouring water into her mouth. 

The videos sparked anger among parents amid questions over how the school handled the matter and whether the principal should have stepped in earlier. The principal has been removed from her duties while the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) conducts investigations.

Kinderland held three meetings with parents in batches on Saturday.

Parents who spoke to CNA after the first meeting said some attendees got agitated and raised their voices during the session.

A mother who wanted to be known as Mrs Sun, 41, said the Kinderland representatives kept trying to interrupt one parent when she was speaking, and it felt like they were insincere.

“They apologised, but they kept saying that some questions had to be answered by ECDA, as if the school has no responsibility in this,” she said.

Her husband Sky Sun, said there was a sense that the school wanted to deal with the parents individually and separately. “That way, there’s less pressure on them,” he said.

“Towards the end of the meeting, the management mentioned the phrase ‘as a family’, and I asked them, if we’re a family, why were the children treated this way? They had no response,” said Mr Sun, 45, who works in the semiconductor industry.

He and his wife intend to withdraw their son from the school.

KINDERLAND ADDRESSES PHONE POLICY FOR STAFF

Speaking to reporters after the first meeting, which was attended by around 30 parents, Kinderland’s general manager Seet Lee Kiang said representatives acknowledged the pain and distress of the parents.

The new principal was introduced to parents during the meeting, and she explained what would be done to prioritise the safety of the children.

“One of the things is the increased frequency of walking about, the principal’s presence. CCTV, we have already installed,” Mr Lee told reporters. 

He acknowledged that the CCTVs were installed in response to the alleged child abuse, but said the company worked very quickly to do so.

“(It’s) a fast response, we want to respond and (it is) one of the ways to gain back the trust, that we will deliver what we say,” he added.

Kinderland also clarified that its staff policy on not using personal devices during teaching hours was first introduced in 2019 and reiterated this week.

“If it’s an emergency, we allow them to do so,” Mr Seet said. That includes filming videos of alleged abuse to report to the management.

“We have always encouraged whistleblowing (as a) policy,” he said.

Mr Seet agreed that the reminder of the policy on personal devices came at the wrong timing, and called it a public relations “disaster”.

Other steps the school is taking include increased communication with parents, having a counsellor to help support children, teachers and parents, as well as a review of existing hiring and training processes.

Apart from the alleged cases at the Woodlands preschool, a Kinderland teacher at a Choa Chu Kang branch was also arrested in the same week for allegedly hitting a child.

PARENTS' DISTRUST

After the meeting on Saturday, a parent who declined to be named said she initially wanted to withdraw her five-year-old child from Kinderland at Woodlands Mart but is having second thoughts.

“He was so excited about all the upcoming events like sports day and the enrichment classes, but everything was stopped abruptly because of this incident, I really felt sorry for him," she said.

“After today, I actually felt more assured because they have a new principal and the new principal, I believe is quite outspoken. So let's see whether the words will be converted into actions, hopefully, yes."

She told CNA that she asked Kinderland for compensation and was told that they would get back to her in a week. She also added that she plans to verify Kinderland’s claims with ECDA where possible because she does not fully trust the school.

“They keep giving us excuses and different kinds of stories," she said.

A parent who gave his name as Mr Kang, 39, said his son was in one of the videos circulated online showing a child being hit with a book.

He said the school apologised to him in mid-August and told him that a teacher force-fed his son water. When he saw the video of his son getting hit this week, he questioned the school about it and was told that they apologised for both incidents in mid-August.

“I did not buy into that,” he said, adding that the discrepancy makes him wonder if more information was withheld or if other cases went undetected.

The former principal and another employee visited his family at home this week to address the situation.

He said his concerns – including whether whistleblowing in the organisation is effective – have not been fully addressed, but his son will remain in the school for now.

“Of course, there are logistics reasons, whether there are vacancies (in other schools). But I also think that after this incident, I feel that they will do a better job,” he said, adding that the school could now be more careful about hiring. 

“Whether they will really do a better job, we have to wait and see the results.”