Rosey (second left) presents a scroll to one of the pupils as others look on.
KUCHING: Thirteen childcare centres (kindergartens) at workplaces in the state are still in the registration and approval process.
According to Assistant Minister of Early Childhood Education and Family Development Rosey Yunus, five of the 13 centres were located in Kuching.
“The rest are in Miri and Bintulu (three each) and one each in Sri Aman and Sibu,” she said when officiating at the fifth Tadika Yayasanku Sayang convocation ceremony held at Yayasan Sarawak complex in Jalan Sultan Tengah here yesterday.
On a related matter, Rosey, who was representing Datin Patinggi Datuk Jamilah Anu, lauded Yayasan Sarawak’s effort for having a childcare centre at its premises as a caring gesture towards its employee.
“Early childhood education is actually the basic foundation towards learning. Childcare centres and kindergartens are places where our children first receive their first education.” She added that by providing such centres within workplaces, employees would have no issues about babysitting as every facility was there.
“This will enable parents to work calmly without worrying about their children, and it will be easier for mothers to breastfeed their children at workplace daycare centres,” she added.
Rosey said it would be a waste of resources if graduate employees were forced to stop working to take care of their children when suitable caretaker could not be found.
“We must also understand that approval for such centre does not come easy. There are many things that have to go through to get a centre registered. There is also the issue of finding qualified teachers and caretakers.” A total of 15 children from the kindergarten received their scroll yesterday, which was also attended by Yayasan Sarawak board member Datuk Seri Empiang Jabu, Yayasan Sarawak director Datu Abu Bakar Marzuki and principle Mohd Fikri Mohammad.