Kinderland Singapore on Wednesday barred its staff from using personal devices during teaching hours with immediate effect, with the move drawing ire from online commenters.
The preschool has come under fire this week following the circulation of secretly-filmed videos showing the alleged abuse of children by teachers on its premises – two of whom have since been arrested.
“To safeguard our children’s privacy, Kinderland has in place company-issued devices to manage all communications with parents. This includes sharing photos and videos through a Pre-School Management App to inform parents of their child’s progress,” said Kinderland Singapore in a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday.
“To also prevent the misuse of photos and videos of our children, Kinderland will now make it a policy that staff not use their personal devices during teaching hours. We hope that these measures will better protect all.”
Commenters on its Facebook post reacted negatively to the statement.
“The recent cases were not about infringing the children’s privacy. If you thought it was, then you are entirely missing the point,” wrote netizen Germaine Chan.
On Wednesday, the Early Childhood Development Agency said that the centre leader and operator of a Kinderland preschool branch are being investigated over their roles in a case involving the alleged abuse of children.
A 33-year-old woman was arrested on Monday after a police report was made over a viral video showing a teacher allegedly pouring water into a 23-month-old girl’s mouth after forcing her to lie down. The woman was charged on Wednesday with ill-treating a child.
Following the circulation of the viral videos, some parents have withdrawn their children from the branch.
The Straits Times
