SeDidik celebrates 35 years of advancing quality, inclusive learning in Sarawak

KUCHING (Jan 22): Sarawak is reinforcing its commitment to early childhood education as SeDidik Sarawak marks 35 years of delivering accessible, inclusive, and quality early learning services across the state.

State Minister of Women, Children and Community Wellbeing (KPWK) Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah highlighted that SeDidik’s founding vision, inspired by the late Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, has always emphasised nurturing quality human capital from an early age.

“Tun Taib always stressed on the importance of nurturing quality human capital, starting with early childhood education, because this is when children’s curiosity can be cultivated through child-centred learning approaches and lifelong learning,” she said.

She made the remarks at the Train of Trainer (ToT) certificate presentation ceremony for the Toy8 programme at Baitulmakmur II on Wednesday, attended by 10 of the 59 certificate recipients.

Also present were her deputy, Datuk Rosey Yunus, KPWK Secretary-General Nur Alina Abdullah, and SeDidik Sarawak General Manager Ayub Dahari.

Since 2020, SeDidik has been under the ministry to implement early childhood education policies, programmes, and activities systematically across Sarawak.

Fatimah highlighted accessibility as a key achievement, noting that the state’s preschool enrolment rate now stands at 98.46 per cent.

“Although 98 per cent is considered high, our target is 100 per cent.

“We want every child in Sarawak to have access to early education, including those in rural and remote areas,” Fatimah said.

SeDidik now operates 107 centres, up from 91 in 2019.

However some rural areas still face lower enrolment due to demographic factors.

“In areas such as longhouses and Penan communities, CSR initiatives like Petronas have helped establish SeDidik centres, but we could not meet the minimum of 25 students; numbers range from six to nine.

“Even so, we provide centres based on community demand,” she explained.

On quality, Fatimah said all SeDidik teachers now hold at least a diploma in Early Childhood Education, with some holding bachelor’s degrees, achieving the 100 per cent professional qualification target by 2025.

SeDidik has also been recognised through Quality Childcare Centre and Quality Kindergarten Awards, reflecting improved standards of service.

SeDidik has also prioritised inclusivity, implementing an open-door policy since 2020 to ensure children with special needs are integrated into mainstream classes rather than segregated.

“So far, 217 children with special needs have participated in SeDidik programmes across the state,” she said.

In addition, SeDidik has established the One Stop Early Intervention Centre to provide professional screening and early interventions in collaboration with medical experts.

Fatimah also highlighted the pilot Toy8 project, supported by the Nippon Foundation of Japan, which offers digital screening and interventions.

“Out of 200 children screened digitally, 20 were identified as needing intervention, and 12 successfully joined the mainstream stream after receiving support,” she added.