Henry (fourth left) with (from second left) Norma, Ong, Mary, the children and others prior to the launch.
KUCHING: Malaysia expects to register revenue of RM27.7 billion from franchises in the near future.
Deputy Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Henry Sum Agong said the franchise industry had contributed immensely to the country’s gross domestic product last year.
“In 2015, a total of RM25.6 billion or 2.6 per cent of the total revenues collected came from franchises. This amount is expected to rise to RM27.7 billion in the future,” he said when opening Smart Reader Kids Jalan Penrissen here yesterday.
Henry was confident the franchise industry in Malaysia would continue to grow. The government’s efforts in boosting the industry had seen the establishment of over 800 franchise companies from various sectors.
Through the relevant ministry and agency, the government carried out several programmes every year to promote local brands and help them penetrate the global market.
For instance, his ministry had launched the Enhanced Franchise Development Programme to provide incentives for local franchisers to market their products overseas.
Henry was glad the Smart Reader Kids franchise had opened 10 new centres in Sarawak and Sabah this year, of which seven are in Sarawak.
The six others in Sarawak are Smart Reader Kids Tmn Putra Jaya, Bintulu; Smart Reader Kids Jln Dato Md Musa, Kota Samarahan; Smart Reader Kids Jln Berjaya, Sibu; Smart Reader Kids Bandar Baru Samariang, Kuching; Smart Reader Kids Jalan Stapok Selantan, Kuching; and Smart Reader Kids Chong Hin Garden 2, Kuching.
He stressed the importance of early childhood education for young children to acquire knowledge to proceed to the next level of education.
Children are an asset to their families and are far more important compared to financial asset.
“I do not want to see our children left behind when it comes to early childhood education so I want Smart Reader to open outlets in rural areas to benefit rural children,” he said.
According to Smart Reader Worldwide Sdn Bhd CEO Dato Sri Dr Richard Ong, Smart Reader Kids is an English-oriented preschool that offers programmes in line with the government’s call to prioritise English language proficiency.
“It’s important to ensure children receive the best support and care, right from an early age. The quality of early childhood education is crucial to their success.”
To-date, there are 29 Smart Reader Kids centres in Sarawak and Sabah. Of the number, 17 operate in Sarawak.
Present were State Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism deputy director Abdul Hafidz Abdul Rahim, Sarawak Tourism Board acting CEO Mary Wan Mering and Aim Smart Academics Sdn Bhd manager Norma John.
By Lim How Pim
[email protected]: Malaysia expects to register revenue of RM27.7 billion from franchises in the near future.
Deputy Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Henry Sum Agong said the franchise industry had contributed immensely to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year.
“In 2015, a total of RM25.6 billion or 2.6 per cent of total revenues collected came from franchises. This amount is expected to rise to RM27.7 billion in the future,” he said when opening Smart Reader Kids branch at Jalan Penrissen here yesterday.
Henry was confident that the franchise industry in Malaysia would continue to grow. The government’s efforts in boosting the industry had seen the establishment of over 800 franchise companies from various sectors, he added. The government, through relevant ministries and agencies, are carrying out several programmes every year to promote local brands and help them penetrate the global market.
For instance, Henry said his ministry had launched the ‘Enhanced Franchise Development Programme’ to provide incentives for local franchisors to market their products overseas.
Meanwhile, the deputy minister was glad that the Smart Reader Kids franchise had opened 10 new centres in Sarawak and Sabah this year – seven of which are in this state.
The one just opened at Jalan Penrissen joined six others in Sarawak namely the branches at Taman Putra Jaya in Bintulu, Jalan Dato Md Musa in Kota Samarahan, Jalan Berjaya in Sibu, as well as those at Bandar Baru Samariang, Jalan Stapok Selatan and Chong Hin Garden 2 – all in Kuching. Henry also stressed the importance of early childhood education for young children to acquire knowledge for them to proceed to the next level of education.
“Children are an asset to their families and are far more important compared to financial assets.
“I do not want to see our children being left behind when it comes to early childhood education, so I want Smart Reader to open centres in the rural areas to benefit the rural children,” he said.
According to Smart Reader Worldwide Sdn Bhd chief executive officer (CEO) Dato Sri Dr Richard Ong, Smart Reader Kids is an English-oriented preschool that offers programmes in line with the government’s call to prioritise the English language proficiency.
“It’s important to ensure that children receive the best support and care, right from an early age. The quality of early childhood education is crucial to their success.”
To date, there are 29 Smart Reader Kids centres in Sarawak and Sabah. Of the number, 17 operate in Sarawak.
The opening yesterday was also attended by state Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism deputy director Abdul Hafidz Abdul Rahim, Sarawak Tourism Board acting CEO Mary Wan Mering and Aim Smart Academics Sdn Bhd manager Norma John.