Fatimah: 21,283 newborns in Sarawak registered for EFS as of October

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A total of the 21,283 newborns in Sarawak have registered for the Endowment Fund Sarawak as for October this year, said Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah. – File photo

A TOTAL of the 21,283 newborns in Sarawak have registered for the Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS) as of October this year, said Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

The figure is out of the total number of 28,152 babies born in Sarawak, reaching a registration rate of 75.6 per cent.

Fatimah pointed out that based on her ministry’s survey, Sri Aman recorded the highest registration rate for the fund at 98.35 per cent, while Sarikei recorded 85.57 per cent and Serian at 84.82 per cent.

However, the lowest registration rate was recorded in Bintulu at 49.80 per cent, Kapit at 67.29 per cent and Miri at 72.28 per cent.

“To encourage registration among parents for their babies, the ministry had organised 26 roadshows in all 11 divisions in the state.”

On the other hand, Fatimah said her ministry will set up a One-Stop Early Intervention Centre at Metro City, Matang to provide diagnosis, intervention and rehabilitation programme to children from seven years old and below with autism, down-syndrome and learning difficulties.

The one-stop centre will be administered by Society for Parents of Children with Special Needs and it will be operational by January 2020.

To improve access to early childhood education it the interiors of Sarawak, Fatimah said five ‘Penan Community Kindergarten’ will be built in Long Leng, Long Kawa, Long Kerangan, Long Jenalong and Ba Selulon and it will be operation beginning 2020.

“The ministry’s mission is to guarantee 100 per cent access to early education for children residing the interior of Sarawak by 2030.”

From the statistics compiled by Sarawak Education Department, she said 97.41 per cent or 40,015 students from the 41,078 students studying in government and private schools had completed early childhood education.

Moreover, she said the introduction of ‘Special Annual Grant’, which is meant for all early childhood institutions in Sarawak, as a testimony of the state government’s concerns about the quality of early childhood care and education.

“The Gabungan Parti Sarawak government view Special Annual Grant as a mean of ensuring the effectiveness of early childhood care and education in these institutions are not compromised.”

Fatimah said RM11.7 million of the total funding for the Special Annual Grant, amounted to RM16 million, is allocated to 2,407 federal-run early childhood institutions which benefits 51,689 students.

“Quality human capital starts with quality early childhood development as it provides a solid foundation at net level of formal education. As a caring government, Sarawak gives great emphasis on a holistic and inclusive early childhood development.”