Female teacher of RYB kindergarten held for 'child abuse'
A teacher from a RYB kindergarten was detained for alleged child abuse in Beijing on Saturday.
The suspect, surnamed Liu, a 22-year-old woman from Hebei province, was sent to criminal detention, according to the police.
Several parents reported to police on Wednesday night that their children, all around 3 years old and enrolled at the RYB Xintiandi branch, had needle marks on their bodies and were repeatedly fed unidentified white pills.
An investigation was launched immediately.
On Saturday, the police also detained another woman, 31, also surnamed Liu, for spreading rumors about the incident.
The government of Chaoyang district has ordered the head of RYB Education to immediately fire the head of the kindergarten where the incident occurred and punish others found responsible.
The education commission of Beijing's Chaoyang district, which oversees the kindergarten, strongly condemned the incident and asked districts and kindergartens concerned to cooperate with judicial authorities for improvements.
"We consider this was an extreme case that harmed children with serious social repercussion," said the spokesman from Chaoyang district.
A thorough investigation was conducted in Chaoyang district and a special inspection to regulate the kindergartens' qualification was also launched, the district government added.
The Ministry of Education has started a special inspection of the management of kindergartens nationwide and asked local education authorities to take effective measures to improve teachers' morality and tighten supervision, according to a ministry release late Thursday.
Shares in RYB plunged 38 percent on the New York Stock Exchange early on Friday, almost wiping out most of the 44 percent rise in the Chinese company's stock since its IPO in September.