Nearly 99 pct kids in S’wak got preschool education before Primary 1, says Fatimah

KUCHING (Oct 5): Nearly 99 per cent of children in Sarawak have received preschool education before entering Primary 1, said Minister of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

The Sarawak government, she said, remains committed to providing equal access to preschool education despite the challenges posed by the state’s vast geography, particularly in rural and Penan areas.

“As of 2024, 98.81 per cent of Primary 1 children in Sarawak have attended preschool.

In Sarawak, there are 2,718 registered preschools with 69,266 children, and 242 registered childcare centres with 4,026 children.

These early childhood institutions are operated both by federal and state agencies.

“To empower early childhood care and education providers, since 2019, we have implemented a Special Annual Grant of RM5,000 for each qualified, registered early childhood institution,” she said when launching the Sarawak Preschool International Convention 2024 here today.

The Dalat assemblywoman said such funds were allocated for providing healthy meals, purchasing teaching and learning materials, facilitating continuous professional development for teachers, and supporting activities involving parents.

She was delighted to note that 100 per cent of the recipients used the Special Annual Grant for its intended purposes.

A total of 14,308 applications were approved between 2019 and Aug 31 this year with expenses amounting to RM71.79 million, she added.

“One of our goals in early childhood education is to ensure access to preschools, especially in rural areas,” she pointed out.

To support parents in sending their children to private preschools and childcare centres, Fatimah said the state government offers an annual fee subsidy of up to RM1,000 for parents with a household monthly income of RM7,000 and below.

Since 2021, she said the Sarawak government has implemented an Open-Door Policy across all state-owned SeDidik preschools, providing opportunities for special needs children to learn alongside their peers.

To foster empathy, she said these preschools teach children both the national and state anthems in sign language, along with other basic sign language skills.

As of last month, there are 182 children in 54 SeDidik Centres, she said.

“To equip teachers with the knowledge and skills in dealing with special needs children, continuous professional development programmes are provided.”

Fatimah added that 153 out of 173 or 87.86 per cent of SeDidik teachers have attended the ‘Basic Sign Language Course’, while 165 or 95.37 per cent have attended an ‘Inclusive Early Childhood Education for Children with Special Needs Course’.