A 36-year-old preschool teacher in Singapore has been charged with ill-treating three babies in her care, in the latest in a series of troubling abuse cases in the country’s early-childhood sector.
Court documents, reported by CNA, allege three separate incidents occurred last September. A gag order protects the identities of both the children and the preschool.
Prosecutors say that on September 23, 2024, the teacher force-fed a 12-month-old girl until she vomited and struck the child on the face and back between 12:03pm and 12:07pm.
Two days later, the educator allegedly stuffed a bib into the mouth of an eight-month-old and placed a blanket over the child’s face around 5pm. In a separate incident that same afternoon, she reportedly hit a 10-month-old on the hand and dropped the infant’s bumper chair from knee height.
The teacher has not indicated how she intends to plead. Bail was set at S$15,000 (about RM48,000), and the case is scheduled to return to court in December.
If convicted of ill-treating a child under her care, she could face up to eight years in prison, a fine of up to S$8,000, or both.
Authorities, including the Early Childhood Development Agency, have been contacted for comment.
This case highlights an ongoing pattern of abuse in Singapore’s preschool sector. In recent months, educators have faced jail sentences for incidents ranging from tripping toddlers to molesting children during naptime, underscoring persistent concerns over safety and oversight in childcare facilities.
