Centre in child abuse controversy issues apology, shuts down temporarily

KOTA KINABALU: A childcare centre in the middle of a child abuse firestorm has issued a full apology as the authorities piece together what triggered one of its caregivers to allegedly mistreat a four-year-old boy at the school.

Leong Fei Yeen, the principal of Taska and Tadika Sri Kandi, said they had also decided to temporarily suspend their operations until further notice in order to redirect efforts “towards addressing the issue and implementing necessary improvements.”

“I humbly extend my sincerest apologies on behalf of Taska and Tadika Sri Kandi, following a deeply unfortunate incident of (alleged) child abuse that regrettably took place within our kindergarten,” she said, in a letter here.

“Our hearts go out to the parents, family, and the child who were affected, as well as to the concerned public who rightly expressed their worries about this incident.

“We accept full responsibility for the situation and acknowledge our duty to provide a secure environment for every child under our care,” she added.

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The 27-year-old woman caregiver, who was arrested on Wednesday (Aug 9), has been remanded for a week from Friday (Aug 11) to facilitate investigations into the child abuse case.

A two-min 12-sec clip of the alleged incident had gone viral since Wednesday evening.

It showed a woman slapping and hitting a child multiple times, including with a metal object. She is also seen pulling his hair in front of other children at the centre.

This caused an uproar among netizens, with many condemning the actions of the caregiver and others blaming the childcare centre in Luyang here for the incident.

Police have received three reports in relation to the incident – one from the boy’s mother and one each from the centre operator and from the suspect, who claimed the child’s father had assaulted them.

Leong assured that the centre was giving its complete commitment to collaborating with the ongoing investigations, which she said were promptly initiated following the incident.

“We are fully prepared to cooperate with any and all investigations conducted by the relevant authorities.

“The individual responsible has been apprehended, and we are offering our unwavering support to the authorities as they diligently address this matter.

“We strongly condemn the actions of the person involved. We acknowledge our accountability in this situation and are taking immediate measures to address our shortcomings.

“This public apology reflects our dedication to transparency and responsibility,” Leong said.

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She also thanked Luyang assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe, who was also the state Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister who she said was not only concerned with the case but took time to understand the actual situation.

“The Minister’s valuable insights underscore the paramount importance of prioritising the well-being of children above all else.

“We are devoted to implementing his guidance as we strive to rebuild trust and uphold the standards we aim for,” she said.

Phoong had visited the premises along with Kota Kinabalu deputy police chief Supt Kalsom Idris and officers from the Social Welfare Department on Friday (Aug 11).

Following the incident, state Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib said guidelines on daycare centres would be tightened to ensure incidents of abuse against children do not occur.

He said he had ordered for the Social Welfare Department to probe the incident thoroughly.