AS a parent of two young children, it wrecked my heart to see the images of a mother carrying the cremation urn of her child, who drowned at a private kindergarten in Ipoh. The unfortunate incident came to light after the mother, D. Neelaveni brought the matter to the press. 

“What really happened to my child?” was the mother’s desperate question. Although nothing can bring the child back, the mother needs closure and certainly we need justice for four-year-old Thanes Nair. 

Reports appear to show that no one from the kindergarten is being investigated for negligence. Instead the Ipoh police chief said “initial police investigation found the deceased was autistic”. He also said that the mother had not informed the school of the boy’s condition. 

What has the boy’s condition got to do with the incident anyway? Does the boy’s condition absolve the negligence of the preschool? The statement that “the principal had agreed to enrol the child for trial class for two hours” does not in any way absolve the role of the principal and the staff in this incident. According to the reports, the principal and two other teachers started to look for the child at 10.20am on the day he drowned, but there was no mention of when the boy went missing. Doesn’t this show the negligence on their part?

I don’t know what the police chief was trying to convey when he said “when the boy was in the kindergarten, he was very active and liked to climb”. Was he saying the incident happened because the boy was very active? I hope the cop is not merely repeating what the kindergarten people said to the police. 

Parents send their children to preschool to prepare them for actual schooling. Children at that age are active and playful. And private pre-schools charge expensive fees because the job demands extensive patience and attention. How could anyone justify a death by saying it could have happened because the child was “very active”? What is the role of the preschool staff then? Aren’t they supposed to monitor the children at all times? The case should be investigated under sections 31 and 33 of the Child Act as the elements of negligence are obvious in this case. What is the use of the law if it is not enforced to protect children?

Parents of young children are willing to pay exorbitant fees to enrol their children into private pre-schools in the expectation that they will be safe there. In Malaysia, the government does not regular such fees. Private pre-schools offer “premium services” such as swimming classes. But are these pre-schools really safe for our children? Which agency inspects the pools on the school compounds to check if they are safe for the children?

I hope no one else has to undergo the pain that Thanes’ parents are going through now. I hope investigation into the case will be carried out without any cover-up and that the negligent parties are brought to justice. – April 26, 2023.

* Satees Muniandy is Bagan Dalam assemblyman. 

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.