Quality standard for preschools to be introduced

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GOOD SKILLS: Fatimah (left) presents a course certificate. Early Childhood Education and Family Development Assistant Minister Rosey Yunus is at second left, while UPM Human Ecology Faculty deputy dean Dr Zaid Ahmad is at third right.

KUCHING: The Early Childhood Education Development Council (MPAKS) will introduce a Preschool Quality Standard (PQS) next month.

Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said the PQS would cover five aspects – physical, learning programme, welfare, personnel and management.

“The standard will benefit 3,031 government and private preschools registered with the state Education Department and is expected to be introduced on March 27,” she said during the closing of ‘Malam Permata’ on Friday night.

Registration centres will
also be opened at strategic locations across the state by the end of next month to encourage all private kindergartens to register.

The centres, Fatimah explained, would speed up the registration process for private kindergartens, which is around three to 11 months – if renovations are required for the premises.

She also announced a collaboration between Open University Malaysia (OUM)
and Mara to introduce an Executive Diploma in Early Childhood Management and Education.

“The course fees will be paid by Mara to those who are qualified where the 10-month course will include lectures, industry exposure and business plan,” she added.

Those who complete the course will have the opportunity to run a preschool or kindergarten with Mara financial support.

Meanwhile, 72 preschool teachers took part in the month-long ‘Pendidik Permata Negara’ course.

MPAKS organised the course in collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the Prime Minister’s Department’s Permata, Yayasan Sarawak and the Sarawak Islamic Council Education Bureau.