The People's Committee of Linh Đông Ward, Thủ Đức City, HCM City decided on Wednesday to suspend the operations of the Tí Bo Kindergarten Class from Thursday following an incident of child abuse that occurred on the morning of April 11 at the kindergarten class.

The perpetrator of the child abuse was L.T.B.N., who is also the owner of this kindergarten class.

The kindergarten class was established in July 2020 according to the decision of the People's Committee of Linh Đông Ward.

According to N., two children were abused by her.

N.T.C, born in 2019, who refused to eat and cried, was forcibly fed tangerine by N., causing the child to become frightened, cry excessively and suffer psychological effects.

T.M.H, born in 2018, misbehaved and damaged toys, so, N. used a red plastic brick, a toy in the classroom, to strike the child's head and slapped the child's face with her hand, leading to the child becoming frightened, crying excessively, and suffering psychological effects.

After the incident, N. acknowledged her wrongdoing and took proactive steps to meet for reconciliation and compensation for the children and their families, but did not receive consent from the children’s families.

During the meeting with the authorities on Wednesday morning, N. admitted and took responsibility for her misconduct.

According to the committee, N.'s actions violated the regulations of the kindergarten class owner's charter and ethical standards.

The committee also requested N. to ensure full rights for teachers, staff, and civil liability for parents and children studying at the kindergarten class after its suspension.

On the same day, the committee also coordinated with the Education and Training Department of Thủ Đức City to visit, encourage and support the families and students, who were abused.

The committee in collaboration with the department will assist in transferring the remaining 22 children of the kindergarten class to other schools or kindergarten classes in the ward.

Lương Thị Hồng Điệp, head of the Early Childhood Education Office under HCM City’s Education and Training Department, said "The actions of N. were totally unacceptable for an early childhood educator." — VNS