Fatimah wants preschoolers to have quality education

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Fatimah (second, left) speaks during the press conference. – Photo from Ministry of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development

KUCHING (Feb 9): The Ministry of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development is aiming for the participation of first-year children in preschool or kindergarten at the highest level to ensure they get quality education.

Its minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said early education was not just about preparing children for formal schooling but rather to focus on holistic development and meeting the social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs of children to build a solid foundation.

“Early Childhood Education is also one of the best investments we can make to build human capital with knowledge, good manners and a high sense of self.

“Based on the 2022 statistics, Sarawak recorded 98.92 per cent of first-year children participating in preschool or kindergarten,” she said after meeting with the Early Children’s Development Council at her office yesterday.

She thus said the way forward for her ministry was not only to increase access to preschool or kindergarten education but to increase the percentage of Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS) and Bantuan Ibu Bersalin (BIB) recipients through collaboration with strategic partners as well.

Fatimah also said that her ministry wanted to increase the percentage of teacher qualifications at least at the Early Childhood Education Diploma level while recognising the need to expand the One Stop Early Intervention Centre (OSEIC) service as well.

“This is to provide early intervention for children with special needs and expand and strengthen inclusivity, especially through SeDidik (which is an early childhood education and care institution under her ministry),” she said.

She also said that applications for child care and early education fee subsidies could be made by parents through the childhood education institutions their children are attending from next month.

The childcare and early education fee subsidy is RM1,000 per year per child and once approved, the subsidy will be channeled to the childhood education institution the child is attending, in April this year.

She said that 2,500 children would receive the subsidy.

On another subject, Fatimah said it was also important for her ministry to expand cooperation and partnerships internationally as well.

One of them is to digitise her ministry’s early childhood development, strengthen their iSarawakCare system and continuing programmes to polish children’s talents, potential and character building.

“It is hoped that all early childhood education and development programmes that have been planned this year can be implemented with the cooperation and collaboration of strategic partners.

“My ministry’s strategic partners include various government agencies and non-governmental organisations in general, and members of the Early Childhood Development Council.