KUCHING: The Association of Kindergarten Operators (AKO) Sarawak hopes that the initiative of prioritising early childhood educators in accessing the Covid-19 vaccine would allow kindergartens in Sarawak to remain open and continue to serve working parents’ needs.
Its president Jason Kong said that when engaging with children, social distancing between educators and children is not an option as children needed physical, emotional and intellectual support at this critical age.
“Early access to the vaccine will give educators and parents a peace of mind. Not only do vaccinated educators protect themselves but also the children and families around them,” he said today.
As such, he expressed gratitude to Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah and Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas for taking immediate action and prioritising early childhood educators in this regard.
Fatimah recently announced that 5,703 educators and caregivers of kindergartens and nurseries would be given priority.
Kong also said that AKO Sarawak had been taking strict precautionary measures to protect all their educators and children from the virus.
“We do not hope to see our educators get infected because the ripple effect in both economic and health perspectives is huge.
“In the event an educator is found to have symptoms associated with Covid-19 or was exposed to suspected or positive Covid-19 cases, the kindergarten is forced to close and parents will have to keep children at home, which limits parents’ own ability to work.
“In addition to that, kindergarten closure will also result in a dramatic financial impact on already affected operators who are running at much lower capacity while costs to provide safe and healthy learning environment have greatly increased.”
Kong assured that all kindergarten operators in Sarawak would continue to be reminded to always observe strict standard operating procedures in their centres even after having completed the vaccination process.
