KUCHING: A total of 2,385 out of 2,865 kindergartens statewide or 83.4 percent resumed operation on Wednesday (July 1), said Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
“From the 480 kindergartens which have yet to open, 461 of them are under the Community Development Department (Kemas) and 19 are private institutions.
“They will resume operation starting July 15,” she told reporters after a presentation ceremony of disaster relief aid to fire victims at Kampung Semerah Padi here on Thursday (July 2).
She stressed that the reopening of kindergartens statewide will and must ensure the standard operating procedure (SOP) guidelines set by the government are strictly complied with at all times.
She also advised parents to not underestimate the ability of the children to obey instructions as she revealed that the inspection, done on the first day of kindergartens’ reopening, found out there was high degree of compliance amongst the kindergarten children and operators to SOP guidelines.
She also informed that she would not insist the parents to send their children to the kindergartens which she described as another good way for the teachers to slowly adapt in caring for children in the new normal starting with small groups first.
However, she reminded that early childhood education was important to prepare the children towards a formal education in the following year.
Also present was Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.
