PETALING JAYA: The government needs to increase monitoring and enforcement to identify unregistered care centres and untrained caregivers, said Tarmizi Anuwar, associate of the Consumer Choice Centre’s Malaysian country.
He told Free Malaysia Today that it is very important that nursery workers and teachers are trained in early childhood education as untrained workers and teachers may endanger the children’s safety and not be able to provide effective education.
“White-listing period should be set up to advocate illegal nurseries to register and obtain licences.”
A childcare centre in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, had a case where on Oct 10, a two-month-old baby died in the said childcare centre.
It was later revealed that the centre was not registered with the social welfare department.
The government, he said, should establish a nursery white-listing initiative, which allows entrepreneurs to register and ensure compliance with the Child Care Centre Act of 1984.
Thus guidelines would ensure nurseries would be properly equipped with the necessary licences, basic equipment and skills for the proper operation of the centre.
Tarmizi also told Free Malaysia Today that parents also need to check the registration of the care centre or premises with the social welfare department before sending their children.-FMT
