Teo and Yeoh urged for the categorisation of childhood education, both private and public, as an essential service. — Picture by Hari Anggara
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KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — The government must act quickly to form a consolidated body that regulates and oversees all early childhood education service providers to avoid the ongoing confusion among parents amid shifting SOPs related to enforcement of the movement control orders (MCO), two DAP lawmakers have said.
Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching and Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh, during a virtual press conference on Zoom this morning, said additional measures like categorising childhood education, both private and public, as an essential service must also be taken to avoid further prioritisation mishmash from the National Security Council (NSC).
“On May 7 the NSC guidelines said childcare centres are allowed to open, provided with the permission of the local authorities, but confusion arose yesterday after the Prime Minister announced the whole country would be placed under MCO.
“So the government needs to come up with clear guidelines and SOPs to avoid such situations,” said Teo during the teleconference that was also attended by representatives from several early childhood education operator associations.
Yeoh was formerly deputy women’s affairs minister, while Teo was deputy education minister under the short-lived Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
Yeoh then pointed out the multitude of different authorities mandated to govern early childhood education, and suggested efforts taken by Pakatan Harapan to form a consolidated body or agency to look after the sector is continued.
“[PH has] initiated meetings that early childhood be revamped and parked under MOE, to ensure synchronisation and quality and so that students are prepared when they enter Standard One.
“The government and NSC also need to announce that childcare for younger children be labelled as essential service and no one should touch that, MCO or conditional MCO,” she said.
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