The alleged abuse case at My First Skool is shocking because the childcare centre is among the better ones in Singapore. Is this only the tip of the iceberg in the childcare sector?

I believe that the “right” people to expose any abusive behaviour by childcare teachers would be the interns. Former interns have told me about cases where children were yelled at, pinched, dragged and even force-fed until they vomited.

However, interns are too afraid to lose their place in internship programmes, which are not easy to obtain as not many centres open their doors to interns.

When I made a previous complaint about alleged abuse, the authorities sent a team to do a check. But they informed the centre that they would be coming by, presumably out of courtesy and so as not to disrupt proceedings there.

Hence, everyone was on their best behaviour and the authorities found no wrongdoing. So how are we going to hear the silent cries of children?