SINGAPORE — A 33-year-old woman who was seen rough-handling and hitting children in a viral video has been arrested, the police said on Tuesday (Aug 29).

In a statement, the police said that the former preschool teacher will be charged on Wednesday with the offence of ill-treatment of a child or young person.

The police added that they had received a report on Monday at 1.04pm about videos circulating online showing a preschool teacher allegedly abusing young children. 

“Through follow-up investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identity of the woman and arrested her within six hours of the report,” they said. 

Member of Parliament Poh Li San said on Monday that the teacher from Kinderland@Woodlands Mart has since been dismissed from her job. 

The videos, posted on Facebook, show a teacher treating children roughly in a classroom setting.

In one of the clips that was over four minutes long, the teacher is seen trying to get another girl to drink water.  

When the girl, who is sitting on the floor, refuses to drink, the teacher then lays her on the ground. 

Placing her hand on the girl's face to prevent her from moving, the teacher then pours water into the girl's mouth while the child continues crying and struggling. Choking sounds and coughs can also be heard. 

When TODAY visited the school around noon on Tuesday, several police officers were seen entering the premises. 

TODAY has reached out to Kinderland for its comments on the incident.

If convicted, the woman could be jailed for up to eight years or fined up to S$8,000, or both.