By Goh Pei Pei & Margaret Ringgit
MIRI: Sarawak digital economy is in safe hands as more young children will soon have the opportunity to learn coding and other digital literacy skills.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said coding was essential in a digital economy while children who learn and master coding would also know about artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing, among others.
“All these advanced technologies which are much needed in our journey heading towards digital economy and to achieve high-income status by 2030,” he said at the opening ceremony of Sarawak Preschool International Convention 2022 here today.
Abang Johari said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Ministry, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak and Persatuan Kebajikan Rolf Schnyder for project KIDS: Bits and Bytes Foundational Literacy Programme for children aged five and six years old under SeDidik as a pilot project – was timely and a good start.
The program aimed to provide computer literacy and coding training and classes for teachers and children to develop vital computational thinking and reasoning skills that are essential for a technology reliant future.
He was confident that this would create an ecosystem for the state’s digital economy, where the children are already well-prepared and equipped with digital knowledge before they enter Primary One.
“In shaping our Sarawak human capital, our young children should be taught and guided to global learning experience without losing the Sarawak local and cultural elements. Educators and caregivers should be proactive in developing and enhancing their skills and knowledge through reading materials which are readily available in libraries, bookstores or even online,” he said.
International convention, he said, was one of the ways to equip the educators and caregivers on the latest and up to date ECCE knowledge and skills to meet the current demand and expectations. The presentation of papers especially by international speakers will enable them to widen their horizons and perspectives in ECCE.
Abang Johari also said the Sarawak Government decided to hand-over SeDidik, a state-owned early childhood provider which was previously under Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), to the Ministry of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development in 2020, due to the importance of ECCE.
“We strongly believe that the step taken to hand over SeDidik to the Ministry was appropriate and in line with the establishment of Early Childhood Development Division of the Ministry in 2017. Sarawak, through the ministry, can give more focus on early childhood care and education,” he said.
“The responsibilities of the ministry include reviewing and realigning existing policies as well as formulating new ECCE policies for the state. This is to ensure Sarawak will lay a strong foundation in shaping our future human capital through ECCE,” he added.
However, he also said, the responsibility to produce quality human capital does not only rely on educators, parents and society at large play important roles too as the whole ECCE ecosystem should be encouraging and supportive for healthy growth and development of the young future leaders.
