Education authorities deploy inspection for kindergartens after abuse claims

The Ministry of Education has carried out a series of special inspections on the management of kindergartens nationwide after police began an investigation into alleged child abuse in a Beijing kindergarten.

View of the RYB Education Kindergarten in Beijing, November 23, 2017. [Photo: IC]

The ministry released a statement Thursday night, saying that "all kindergartens and teaching staff that harm the health of children must be seriously dealt with." It has also required the education authorities in Beijing to launch probes immediately, and urged local authorities to take effective measures to improve teachers' morality and tighten supervision.

Police in Beijing are now investigating the alleged child abuse and possibly molestation case in a kindergarten chain RYB Education, as several parents reported late Wednesday that their children at RYB's Xintiandi branch had needle marks on their bodies and were repeatedly fed unidentified white pills. Some parents even alleged their children were sexually assaulted.

Media and parents gather at the gate of the RYB Education Kindergarten after parents accusing RYB Kindergarten of abusing their children in Beijing, November 23, 2017. [Photo: IC]

Police said they were probing the case and collecting evidence, and confirmed surveillance tapes from the kindergarten are in custody. Doctors and forensic experts also participated in the probe, but so far no conclusions have been made.

Meanwhile, three of the teachers at the school have been suspended, a local education official said on Thursday.

Founded in 1998, RYB Education, parent company of the kindergarten, is based in Beijing and listed in New York. It has more than 1,300 day care centers and nearly 500 kindergartens in 300 cities across China.

RYB Education rings the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange on September 27, 2017. [Photo: VCG]

On September 27, RYB Education rang the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange, becoming the first independent enterprise to be listed in the early childhood education industry. 

However, industry experts suggested that the child abuse case might reduce the reputation and credibility of RYB, which will inevitably have an impact on its financial performance and stock price in the future.