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Authorities are now paying close attention to the school in Beijing that has been at the center of controversies following allegations of child abuse by assigning an inspector to every kindergarten. The preschool made international headlines last week over the issue.
Police have already detained a 22-year-old woman teacher at the RYB Education New World kindergarten in Chaoyang district accused of being involved in the molestation of some pupils. Some of the pupils are said to have needle marks on their bodies, and were also administered with unspecified pills.
RYB has over 1,800 kindergartens and day care centers across China. It is a US-listed educational institution.
Several school officials have also been fired including the principal of the kindergarten. A 31-year-old woman is also now under police custody for spreading rumors that a military regiment was involved in the case.
The allegations have rocked not just the school involved but practically the entire country as China is gripped by concerns over children’s safety in schools. The State Council in China launched a nationwide campaign on Friday to review kindergartens in the country.
The education commission in capital Beijing said on Sunday that it also launched its own kindergarten checks, with district authorities instructed to set up files on all preschools in the capital and assign a regular inspector to each one.
Authorities across the city would assess the facilities, safety and hygiene measures, teachers’ qualifications and management of each school and inspectors would be responsible for “supervising the kindergartens and ensuring they were run appropriately.”
Many commenters were doubtful about the effectiveness of such inspections in responding to the issue.
The more important concern for the public remains getting the answers on the RYB investigation. Police have yet to establish what exactly are they investigating, and what were exactly done to the poor children-victims.
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