Wanita MCA to help make it easy for pre-school operators

thestar.news:Monday February 23, 2009

Its chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said the wing would gather feedback from pre-school operators to find out their problems.

Currently, she said the licence fees charged by local councils nationwide varied from place to place. She urged the councils to reserve land for the setting up of pre-schools in residential areas.

"We will be looking at government policies, regulations and other aspects to help operators create a conducive environment for the setting up of more community-based pre-schools," she said at a press conference at Institute CECE here on Saturday. The institute is a pioneer, non-profit educational organisation that specialises in pre-school teacher's education.

Also present at the function were CECE board of directors' chairman Datuk Leong Tang Chong and its board of governors' chairman Tan Sri Wong See Wah.

Leong said the two courses conducted by the institute – the Certificate in Pre-school Education and Diploma in Early Childhood Education – had been approved by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency and were recognised by the Higher Education Ministry.

Wong also announced the launching of full-time courses. The next intake will be in April.

Previously, these two courses were held during school holidays and on weekends as the majority of those in the programme were kindergarten teachers and childcare educationists.

Wong said trainees who needed financial aid could apply to the Chang Ming Thien Foundation for an interest-free study loan. Those taking up the diploma course can also apply for a National Higher Education Fund loan.

The institute was set up by former Wanita MCA chief Datuk Teng Gaik Kwan and Dr Frances Lee, who is now the institute's head. Since 1976, 5,000 pre-school educationists have graduated from the programmes, with about 500 childcare centres set up nationwide.

中国报 国内新闻 2009年2月22日

周美芬吁地方政府建托兒所列發展規劃

馬華婦女組主席拿汀巴杜卡周美芬呼吁地方政府，應把托兒所及幼兒院，納入新發展地區的規劃範圍內，讓女性可無后顧之憂的投入工作。

“地方政府應改變普遍認為托兒所是營利行業的觀念，其實，學前教育對培養兒童未來的素質，扮演非常重要的角色。”

她希望，地方政府了解學前教育的重要性，並在多個不同地區，增設高素質的托兒所。

周美芬今日出席馬來西亞學前教育學院推介全日課程及兩個獲大馬國家學術鑒定機構（MQA）認可的課程后，發表談話。

出席者有馬來西亞學前教育學院理事會主席丹斯里黃思華、董事部主席拿督梁鄧忠、院長李梅花，以及馬華婦女組總秘書王賽芝上議員。

此外，周氏說，隨著2006年托兒所修正法令生效后，托兒所只需每5年更換執照一次，但條件是必須維持該所的教學及育兒素質。

她說，每個縣市議會申請托兒所執照的條規不同，一些地方的執照費較低，但一部分的地方申請費用卻偏高，有的每年高達5000令吉。

“執照費過高對托兒所業者是負擔，須知托兒所是社會責任，而非營利行業。”

她解釋，欲成立0至4歲的托兒所，是向婦女、家庭及社會發展部申請﹔而申請成立4至6歲的托兒所，則是向教育部申請。