China launched a nationwide investigation into its kindergartens on Friday after parents at a Beijing preschool said toddlers had apparent needle marks and were given mysterious pills — sparking outrage days after another daycare scandal. Security personnel installed a cordon at the gate of the RYB
China launched a nationwide investigation into its kindergartens on Friday after parents at a Beijing preschool said toddlers had apparent needle marks and were given mysterious pills — sparking outrage days after another daycare scandal.
Security personnel installed a cordon at the gate of the RYB Education New World kindergarten on Friday after dozens of curious onlookers crowded outside the high-end, bilingual Chinese-English nursery, which was still operating.
A day earlier, furious parents had gathered in front of the gate to demand answers from RYB, which is run by a company that started trading on the New York stock exchange in September. Its shares plunged by more than 40 percent in after-hours trading.
China’s official Xinhua news agency said children were also «reportedly sexually molested» but gave no further details.
Li Jing, mother of a three-year-old girl, told AFP her daughter had not been abused but said other children had explained how they were coerced into taking pills.
«Other kids were saying it’s not to be called taking a pill, but a reward. And the pill is not to be called a pill, but a jelly bean, and is a little secret between the child and the teacher,» Li said.
She chose to bring her daughter to school on Friday because she trusted the girl’s teacher, but admitted: «I still feel a bit uneasy.»
The Chaoyang district government said police opened an investigation after parents reported the suspected abuse on Wednesday.
Though authorities have so far declined to confirm or provide more details about the allegations, the incident prompted the education steering committee of China’s State Council, its top administrative body, to call for an «immediate» investigation into kindergartens across the country.
