Pre-school operators say CCTV cameras improve transparency

Since July 2024, all pre-schools in Singapore have been required to install CCTV cameras in areas accessible to children, such as classrooms, activity rooms and play areas. Cameras are not allowed in private spaces like toilets and changing rooms.

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old child until she vomited, and stuffed a bib into another baby's mouth.

Former preschool cook Teo Guan Huat, 61, was also sentenced to over nine years in jail on Nov 10 for molesting three girls, aged one to two, while they napped at the school between May and November 2023.

The man's crimes were caught on the school's CCTV system by an employee, but the footage was erased, and the police were alerted only weeks later.

Three staff members were charged over their alleged involvement in tampering with evidence, while another was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal by the courts and given a stern warning.

The agency said it can issue warnings and financial penalties to operators who fail the CCTV requirements. All preschools must also collect, store and submit footage to ECDA and other authorities when needed during investigations.

Those who refuse to provide, tamper with or delete CCTV footage can be fined up to $5,000, imprisoned for up to six months, or both.

CCTV footage is another source of objective evidence to corroborate findings and better determine whether a regulatory breach occurred, said ECDA. Other evidence includes statements from staff and witnesses, preschool records and documentation, and reports from medical professionals.

Preschool operators said CCTV cameras have improved transparency and provided more objective evidence when reviewing incidents.

Some had already installed them before the requirement took effect.

Of the 12 preschools ST contacted, four responded to queries about the use of CCTV cameras. The rest declined to comment or did not reply.