BEIJING -- The Ministry of Education ordered safety checks in kindergartens across the country Friday, following a series of child abuse cases.

"Recent child abuse cases in kindergartens have greatly harmed the victims and their families and brought serious consequences. They exposed problems in the management of kindergartens," the ministry said in a statement.

Local governments must target kindergarten staff in the inspections, rectify their wrongdoing and investigate any activities that harm children in kindergartens, according to the ministry.

The ministry also urged education authorities nationwide to set up a regular supervision mechanism and improve the accountability system to punish those involved in child abuse.

In the most recent case, pre-schoolers at RYB Education New World kindergarten in Chaoyang District of Beijing were reportedly pierced with needles and fed with unidentified pills. Several parents angrily raised the issue online and reported their concerns to authorities late Wednesday, triggering a police investigation.