Sun Xueling Says In Parliament That Kinderland Incidents Are Not Reflective Of Preschool Sector

Late last month, social media videos surfaced of teachers allegedly abusing students at Kinderland preschools in Woodlands Mart and Choa Chu Kang.

While action has been taken against the teachers involved as well as the operator, Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling has said the incidents “should not have happened”.

The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is also considering enhancing the penalties for errant preschool operators, she said.

Sun Xueling ‘shocked & alarmed’ at Kinderland videos

Speaking in Parliament on Monday (18 Sep), Ms Sun said the social media videos were “painful to watch”.

Like many members of the public, she was “shocked and alarmed” at what she saw in the videos.

That’s why she added that “this incident, and the others at the Kinderland centres, should not have happened”, stating,

Our children deserve to grow up, learn (and) play in a safe and nurturing environment.

In the Woodlands Mart videos, a teacher could be seen handling children roughly while trying to make them drink water. She is also seen shouting and hitting a child with a textbook, then following it up with a rough yank.

In the Choa Chua Kang video, a teacher is seen shouting “drink” at a boy while handing a water bottle to him. She also smacked him on the head a few times and pushed him away.

Kinderland cases not reflective of preschool sector: Sun Xueling

However, the Kinderland incidents are “not reflective” of the wider preschool sector, Ms Sun said.

In fact, many preschool educators have been dedicating their time and energies into caring and nurturing children, she added, noting that they have put the kids’ well-being as...