Preschools to cater for longhouses mulled

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KUCHING: The state may consider opening preschools to cater for rural longhouses in the future.Incoming Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, Datin Fatimah Abdullah said that a pilot project is being done at about four longhouses this year to examine if opening the preschools will benefit the people.

“The purpose of the preschool in the longhouse is to serve the need; the need means neighbouring area to the longhouse. Study being done at the divisional level, district level of the Education Department was to make sure that this pilot project preschool at longhouses really serves the need of the people there,” said Fatimah.

She added that the plan would only begin after the study have been completed.

She pointed out that the scenario in rural area was that the primary school serve about five to six longhouses and the children were placed in dormitories. However, putting children as young as five years old is not the best choice.

“It will depend if there is a need for one, according to the number of children in that area and also so that parents don’t have to walk four hours to the school to send their children,” she said.

She said this when met after the opening of the Borneo Post International Education Fair 2010 here yesterday.

Fatimah also added that the study would include on whether the preschool could be opened in the longhouse itself or another alternative building for the preschool to be built just next to the longhouse.

She expressed her gladness after the federal government responded to the suggestion and have the pilot project in place.

The next step would be the access to quality of early childhood education. This will be done under the Early Childhood Education Council to set down and come up with the guideline for standard quality of early childhood education, she said.

“Now we are gathering as a team of professionals from various agencies,” she said.

She pointed out that producing quality human capital is the government’s long-term plan, and to get a head start, it must be started when they are young.

“A good foundation when they are young will provide us quality human capital. Early childhood education is related to all the process to produce human capital, so we are starting at the preschool level,” said Fatimah.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud announced a small cabinet reshuffle involving three individuals, taking effect on April 2.

Among them were Fatimah, Tanjung Datu assemblyman Adenan Satem who was appointed as Special Advisor to the Chief Minister’s Department and Batu Kawa assemblyman Tan Joo Phoi as an Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, in charge of environmental matters.

Fatimah’s appointment made her the second woman full minister in the State cabinet after Dato Sri Hafsah Harun.