Woodland Mart Kinderland Teacher, Lin Min, Might Face Other Similar Charges

The Woodland Mart Kinderland incident rattled Singaporeans, and made the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) issue a public apology for their inefficiency.

Even Ho Ching spoke out about the incident.

By now, you’re likely familiar with the infamous Kinderland saga involving a teacher at its Woodlands Mart branch who has been arrested and charged with child mistreatment.

If not, you can watch this video for a quick recap:

And now, there is an update regarding the person who “started” the entire incident: the Woodland Mart Kinderland Teacher, Lin Min.

Woodland Mart Kinderland Teacher, Lin Min, Might Face Other Similar Charges

On 13 Sep 2023, a police prosecutor said that the former pre-school teacher, Lin Min, may be facing other similar charges.

Investigations are ongoing, the prosecutor said.

Lin was charged on 30 Aug with one count of an offence under the Children and Young Persons Act.

She appeared in court after her remand at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and was offered a bail of S$15,000.

Her lawyer said her family members were ready to furnish the bail.

As part of her bail conditions, Lin is not allowed to contact the victim or witnesses. She was also required to remain contactable by the investigating officer.

Lin will appear in court again on 12 Oct 2023.

A Timeline of the Kinderland Saga

Videos on the alleged abuse happening at the Kinderland @ Woodland Mart went viral on 28 August 2023.

The police immediately investigated the videos and a 33-year-old pre-school teacher was arrested from Kinderland Preschool @ Woodlands Mart.

A day later, another alleged abuse video surfaced online. Similarly, it took place in a Kinderland outlet, but this time at Choa Chu Kang.

The teacher from Kinderland @ Sunshine Plaza, 48, was subsequently arrested.

On 30 Aug 2023, it came to light that the videos at Kinderland @ Woodland Mart was filmed by a former teacher. She had worked with Lin for three months before quitting.

Her husband had told her to record the incidents as there were no CCTVs in the premises. She had attempted to inform the principal about the abuses but was not taken seriously.

Eventually, she shared the videos with ECDA and in a group chat with 28 mothers.

On the same day, the principal of Kinderland @ Woodlands Mart was removed from her position and deployed to other positions within the company.

This happened after angry parents stormed the premises to ask what the principal had been doing during these abusive incidents.

On 31 Aug 2023, it was reported that Kinderland had barred staff from using personal devices at work.

While Kinderland said it was an attempt to prevent the any misuse of the photos and videos of the children, it reads more like an attempt to stop whistle-blowing.

On 4 Sep 2023, Ho Ching responded to the Kinderland saga, expressing her support for the whistleblower in the incident.

Meanwhile, Kinderland was fined S$5,000 and ECDA issued an apology for their part in the saga.