KUCHING: Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah has emphasised that early childhood education (ECE) is vital as a foundation for further education as well as various skills and values.
She said this after a reporter pointed out that some people might question the reopening of kindergartens (tadika) on July 1 in light of the risks posed by Covid-19.
“ECE provides the foundation for social skills, communication, early literacy, and moral values,” she said during a press conference at her ministry’s office at the Baitul Makmur Building, Petra Jaya on Tuesday.
“It has been shown in research that ECE has a great impact on the later years of life for children, which is why all trends are emphasising ECE,” she added.
She said that the curriculum was well developed to ensure that children had the right foundation years during which values such as the love for learning were also inculcated.
Fatimah said that the state government had taken the right step by creating an early childhood development council and the early childhood development division under the Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development (KWKPK),
“This shows that the state government knows the importance of ECE,” she said, pointing out that the state government had also prioritised access to ECE including in rural areas.
Meanwhile, she assured that detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) had been put in place for the resumption of tadika to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
