At a time when Singapore is already witnessing racial dissent comes another incident of discrimination in schools that has sent shock waves across the academic circles.
In a Reddit post, a Singapore preschool teacher alleged that during her interview at a MapleBear Preschool she was asked if she would be willing to remove her hijab as the school had “a uniform code to follow.”
She further added that she was “angry that an organisation that has so much to do with childrens’ outlook of life themselves hold such backward policies.”
Discrimination In Schools: Preschool Teacher’s ‘Rant’ On Racism Gains Momentum, But What’s The Truth?
Image courtesy: iStock | Image for representational purposes only
In her Reddit post–that has now garnered over 130 comments– the preschool teacher or listentotheinternet as she prefers to be addressed on the platform wrote, “I had a Zoom interview with a prestigious childcare(MapleBear). I applied as an English Teacher. After a 20min discussion, the centre director asked me if I am okay to remove my hijab for work. When questioned why and she said because the school has a uniform code to follow to.”
“Hijab has been an issue in Singapore for a long time, and normally associated with nurses and uniform groups. But preschool teacher? I have never known for it to be an issue in this industry. Most preschools (I honestly thought all) allow teachers to wear their hijabs with their uniforms,” she added.
The user further noted that “My hijab has never been in my way to educate the young ones, and I am sure it is the same for any other hijabi teacher. I am angry that an organisation that has so much to do with childrens’ outlook of life themselves hold such backward policies.”
As soon as she shared her experience, the comments section was left divided.
While some Singaporean parents who send their kids to the said preschool jumped to defend it, others were more sympathetic towards her.
Parents Left Divided On The Teacher’s Personal Experience
One parent named obviouslygene was sympathetic towards the preschool teacher and wrote, “Maplebear is a franchise and this could be imposed by the franchisee because it does not seem to be a standard across all Maplebears. I send my kid to a Maplebear and they do have teachers in hijabs. Just wanted to put this out there. Sorry that you experienced this. We as a society should have been past this a long time ago.”
While another named nskbk said, “A maplebear in my area has an english teacher who wears a hijab. I am shocked you had to experience this. That centre director should be reprimanded.”
However, there were those who refuted the claims and stated that they had never seen this happen in a MapleBear Preschool franchise.
“You are right. MapleBear works on a franchise model and I’ve definitely seen and heard of MBs which hire hijabi Teachers,” wrote chic_kin.
An Update From The Preschool Teacher On Discrimination In Schools
Soon after she shared her experience and her post began to gain momentum, she added an update to say that the centre’s director contacted her for clarification.
She also stated that she wasn’t sure if this was just a misunderstanding on her part or there were other reasons as to why the centre’s director had “changed her tone.”
She wrote, “Update : the centre director actually emailed me and called me to say that hijab is not her main consideration factor and asked if I am okay with the other stuff so she can forward my application to the management. When I asked then why was it even brought up, she said that oh she was just asking, she wants to know what the applicant would come to work wearing.”
“She asked if I thought that she was rejecting me because of the hijab, and I said yup sure felt that way. So she said oh no I have malay friends and colleagues… So yes here’s an update not sure if it was really a misunderstanding on my part or there are reasons she suddenly changed her tone.”
“In any case, how else should a hijabi feel when her interviewer ask if she’s OK to remove her hijab for work?” she asked.
Image courtesy: iStock | Image for representational purposes only
What MapleBear Preschool Group Had To Say
theAsianparent spoke to Ms Patricia Koh, Chief Executive And Founder Of MapleBear Singapore at MapleBear International SchoolHouse Pte Ltd., for clarification on the matter – that is now being investigated by the police.
Ms Koh added that if the preschool teacher wasn’t sure, she should have clarified the misunderstanding. “She could have just called the HQ to check if this is true. Because our mission is to build lives and help children celebrate childhood and we don’t even wish to cause others hurt. So it is just unfortunate,” Ms Koh said.
No uniform dress code for teachers at MapleBear Preschools
ALSO READ:
Ultimate 2021 List Of The Best Kindergartens And Preschools In Singapore
How To Prepare For P1 Registration 2021: A Helpful Guide For Parents