A 56-year-old former preschool teacher has been charged in court for kicking a four-year-old girl on her shin in April.

She was suspended following the incident, but eventually resigned, and is no longer working in the preschool sector.

The incident

Court documents indicated that the incident took place on Apr. 2 at around 11:55am.

A gag order has been placed on any information that could identify the victim, including the woman's name and the location of the incident.

According to The Straits Times, the woman allegedly kicked the girl's right shin to discipline her for not sitting properly.

The girl's parents subsequently took her to the KK Women's and Children's Hospital for a medical check-up.

She was found to have suffered a serious bruise on her right shin.

Case reported to ECDA & police, teacher suspended

The girl's parents then reported the matter to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the police on Apr. 3.

ECDA later emailed the girl's father to confirm that based on investigation findings, the former teacher had used "inappropriate classroom management methods" to make the girl sit properly before a nap.

The former teacher was promptly given a suspension following ECDA investigations.

As of Jun. 6, she has resigned and is no longer working in the preschool sector.

Charged in court, case adjourned to September

On Jul. 31, the woman was charged in court for ill-treating a child under her care.

The defence said they would apply to view the closed-circuit television footage, according to CNA.

Her case has been adjourned to September.

The case follows a spate of alleged abuse cases in preschools in 2023, notably at Kinderland outlets in Woodlands and Choa Chu Kang.

ECDA has mandated preschools in Singapore to install CCTV on their premises by Jul. 1, 2024.

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