30-8-2023 (SINGAPORE) A former preschool teacher, Lin Min, appeared in court on Wednesday (Aug 30) facing charges of ill-treating a child after video footage emerged earlier this week showing her allegedly rough-handling children. The 33-year-old Singaporean is accused of ill-treating a 23-month-old child at Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart on June 30. Court documents reveal that she allegedly forced the girl to lie down and poured water into her mouth.
Lin, whose identity cannot be revealed due to a gag order imposed by the court, has been charged with one count of ill-treatment of a child or young person. Her lawyer had requested the gag order to extend to her identity, but District Judge Kow Keng Siong rejected the application. Lin has been dismissed from her position at the school following her arrest on Monday, after three video clips circulated online depicting her attempting to force children to drink water while shouting and hitting them.
During the court appearance, Lin appeared via a video link from Woodlands Police Division headquarters. The prosecution successfully applied for her to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health, and she is set to return to court on September 13. Lin’s lawyer requested permission to speak to her over the phone to handle administrative matters and relay messages from her family members. He also mentioned that she was a childcare teacher working under the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic. The judge granted permission for the lawyer to pass along the messages through the investigation officer and speak to Lin the day before her next court appearance.
If found guilty under the Children and Young Persons Act, Lin could face up to eight years in jail, a fine of up to S$8,000 (US$5,900), or both.
Lin is one of two Kinderland teachers arrested this week for alleged mistreatment of children under their care. The second teacher, a 48-year-old, was apprehended on Tuesday after a video surfaced online showing her smacking a boy on the head multiple times and pushing him away. She has been suspended from her duties. Kinderland’s Woodlands Mart center falls within the Sembawang West ward of Member of Parliament Poh Li San, who stated on Facebook that she is assisting affected parents and children.
Following the incident, some parents have chosen to withdraw their children from the preschool. One mother recounted that her daughter had been crying inexplicably on several occasions, leading her to firmly believe that the child had also been abused.
In response to the situation, the preschool’s principal, Ms. Mahirah Yasid, issued an apology to the parents and children. Kinderland announced on Tuesday that it plans to install additional closed-circuit television cameras at its Woodlands and Choa Chu Kang centers.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has directed Kinderland to provide close guidance and support to their teachers in classroom management to ensure the safety and well-being of enrolled children. With more than 40 years of operation as an early childhood provider, Kinderland runs over 60 centers in countries including Singapore, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia, according to its website.
