Childcare centre principal jailed for siphoning over $16,000
SINGAPORE — A childcare centre principal entrusted with collecting fees from parents and handling cash for supplies misappropriated more than $16,000 over eight months, a court heard.
At the State Courts on Tuesday (7 January), Hamidah Muhammad, 49, was sentenced to 12 weeks’ jail.
She pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal breach of trust.
Entrusted with cash
According to court documents made available on Wednesday (8 January), Hamidah was the principal of the Star Learners Group branch at Blk 510 Bishan Street 13 at the time of the offences in 2017 and 2018. The childcare centre has more than 40 branches islandwide.
“As principal of the childcare centre, the accused was entrusted with dominion over the fees paid by parents to the childcare centre and childcare centre’s float money,” which amounted to $1,500, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Samyata Ravindran.
Hamidah would either collect fees from parents directly, or have a senior teacher collect the cash and hand it over to her.
“The accused was supposed to bank in fees collected from the parents into the company’s corporate account and maintain records of the fees collected,” said DPP Samyata.
Meanwhile, the float money was supposed to be used to buy supplies for the children and the childcare centre.
Between 31 October 2017 and 11 July 2018, Hamidah pocketed a total of $16,701.90 comprising fees paid by eight parents and the childcare centre’s float money.
She tendered her resignation in late June, the court heard. “The accused was supposed to work with the incoming principal and management in relation to the hand over but this was not done,” said DPP Samyata.
It was during checks that a cluster principal and the childcare centre’s management team found discrepancies in its accounts. The cluster principal then made a police report on 2 October 2018.
Hamidah has since made full restitution of the misappropriated sum. She will begin her jail term next Tuesday.
For criminal breach of trust, she could have been jailed for up to seven years and also fined.
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