KUCHING: The Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development (KWKPK) is fine-tuning the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the resumption of tadika (kindergartens).
KWKPK Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah emphasised that although taska (nurseries) had been allowed to resume operations starting June 9, tadika still could not be reopened just yet.
“Due to the larger number of children at tadika, our SOP for taska and tadika has to be separated,” she explained at a press conference on Special Annual Grant (GTK) for early childhood education institutions (IPAKK) at Wisma Kebajikan here yesterday.
She said that there are 77,789 children in total at tadika in the state, while there are 3,707 at taska.
She said that her ministry would engage with operators.
“Social distancing is one matter we need to look into seriously, and also their curriculum and activities,” she said.
Meanwhile, in response to a question on how social distancing can be ensured among children once the taska resume, Fatimah said that measures such as positioning of seating and adjustment of activities to exclude group activities would help.
She also said that young children are not to be underestimated as although they may not understand Covid-19 entirely. They could observe what is happening around them and know the importance of using face masks and social distancing.
“Also, in taska and tadika, do not underestimate the power of the teachers. Sometimes, the children listen more to the teachers than to their parents. The teachers must be educated first on how to manage the children so that there is social distancing and so on,” she said.
