The arrest yesterday came as NTUC First Campus, which runs My First Skool, acknowledged at a press conference that the boy’s injury was caused by “mishandling by his teacher”.
The incident took place on Friday at the My First Skool centre at Toa Payoh Block 192. In a two-minute clip uploaded by the boy’s parents, the teacher is seen forcefully dragging the boy to a corner and pushing him hard onto the ground.
NTUC First Campus said the teacher and the centre’s principal took the boy to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where it was discovered that he sustained a hairline fracture.
Speaking on the sidelines of a community event yesterday, Mr Chan said the MSF is taking this case of alleged child abuse “very seriously” and that results of the investigations, which will involve the induction and training of staff, supervision and incident management by the centres, will be shared with other operators in “due course.”
At the NTUC First Campus press conference, Chief Executive Officer Chan Tee Seng apologised for the teacher’s conduct and said she has been suspended.
“We will continue to extend all help to the child and his parents, including covering all medical expenses. The parents of the child have requested for a transfer to a nearby My First Skool centre and we have already made arrangements for this,” he said.
He added that the teacher’s conduct was “totally unacceptable” and that he was “very disturbed and saddened” after watching the video.
The teacher, who has 16 years of experience and is a diploma holder, has been teaching part-time at My First Skool since 2009. The school said it has never received complaints about her. It also said that no other teachers witnessed the incident.
NTUC’s Mr Chan said it was “too early to say” if the teacher will be dismissed as a “due process” must take place. A “face-to-face” meeting with the management is expected today.
The parents of the boy — who cannot be named to protect his identity — said they were shocked when they saw the video. The father, 32, said he had not suspected abuse at first and assumed the injury could have been due to “negligence”.
He said he visited the school on Saturday and asked to see CCTV footage of what happened, but the request was turned down as the centre said it wanted to view it first. The school relented after the police intervened.
The boy is recovering but is “not able to sleep peacefully” because of the pain, said his father. His mother, 30, wants a psychological assessment done on him.
When asked why the parents were not allowed to view the footage at first, NTUC’s Mr Chan said: “Every allegation is taken very seriously because there is both the welfare and well-being of the child and also the reputation of the teacher. So, we would like to be able to review the CCTV usually within a reasonable amount of time.”
Since 2011, NTUC First Campus has had CCTVs installed at all its centres.
Mr Chan said it is “inevitable” that NTUC, which takes care of 10,000 children, receives allegations of mishandling and abuse “from time to time”, but declined to give figures. Sometimes these complaints are found to be true and other times “unfounded”, he added.
An NTUC First Campus spokesperson said that potential teachers, during their course of obtaining the necessary qualifications, would have been taught about classroom management which covers “appropriate handling of children”. Teachers are also taught different approaches to manage children appropriately.
Mr Chan Chun Sing said that while there are frameworks in place for the conduct of any activities and lessons and how teachers are inducted and trained, improvements could be made to give parents a sense of assurance.
Asked whether there is a need to make CCTVs compulsory at all childcare centres, he said: “Going forward, there are various considerations in the implementation of such technology across the sector. But more important than technology is the quality of teaching, the kind of values that we impart to the teachers ... so technology is an enabler, but technology should not be seen as the solution.”
Childcare operators TODAY spoke to said that there are clear guidelines for teachers on handling children.
“Our teachers are to be respectful, which means they do not manhandle the child and they watch their tone when speaking with the children. When a child is challenging, the teacher will sit with them and speak calmly to them and give them a “time-out” to compose themselves,” said Senior Principal Jacqueline Chung of St James’ Church Kindergarten, adding that teachers are to excuse themselves when they feel “overwhelmed” and are encouraged to speak to the principal or other staff.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob said she was “horrified” at the incident and “very concerned” for the child involved, as she called for patience pending the outcome of the investigations.
“Above all, please do not judge and view all childcare teachers negatively as many joined the profession not just because it is a job for them but because of their love for children, and we do not want to dampen their spirit and weaken their resolve,” she said.
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