KUCHING: The new Malaysia aspires to have subsidised childcare to cater to the needs of about a third of its population.
Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Hannah Yeoh said her ministry is looking at improving the current system with the ultimate aim of providing free childcare for Malaysians.
To achieve this, she admitted that the federal government will have to collaborate with the various state governments nationwide.
Yeoh (right) and MoCS founder Francis Siah at the launch.
“We want to have subsidised childcare for our children who make up 30 per cent of our population; like healthcare at government hospitals,” she said during a town hall session ‘A Day of Patriotism’ organised by the Movement of Change Sarawak (MoCS) at the main hall of Malaysia-China Friendship Park off Jalan Song here yesterday.
Yeoh, who is Segambut MP, said only 10 per cent of childcare operators in Malaysia were registered.
According to her, it is not that the remaining 90 per cent of childcare operators do not want to register but they face certain level of difficulties in getting the approval.
She said they are required to get approval from the Ministry of Health, Fire and Services Department (Bomba) and the community before the registration can be done.
She added that some neighbours objected to having a childcare centre in their community because they don’t want the noise of children and the traffic.
In spite of that, Yeoh said her ministry is trying its level best to get all the childcare operators registered and regulate them.
“We have to come up with a system for everybody (childcare operators) to register and make sure it is safe for every child.”
Although children constitute 30 per cent of Malaysia’s population, she said there is no one agency that looks after the welfare of this vulnerable group.
She explained that children of different age groups come under the jurisdiction of various government agencies.
“My ministry looks after children aged zero to four, Ministry of Education takes care of children aged between four and six while children in the rural areas are the responsibility of the Ministry of Rural Development.”