A minister?s call to set up kindergartens in remote locations deserves praise and should be followed up by the relevant agencies. The private sector should also chip in.
?Early childhood interventions of high quality have lasting effects on learning and motivation.? ? James J. Heckman (expert on investment in human capital through early childhood enrichment programmes)
It?s good to hear that the state government is considering setting up kindergartens in timber camps. The move is laudable and should be encouraged.
Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah recently announced that the state government was considering this possibility after discovering that many children staying with their parents at timber camps did not receive any, nor had access to early childhood education.
Fatimah admitted though that it would be a tough task setting up nurseries in timber camps and other remote parts of the state.
To date, pilot projects to set up kindergartens in rural longhouses have been undertaken by the government but sadly, several of these ended up being under-utilised as many of the women from the longhouses had also followed their husbands to the timber camps.
In many cases, they would bring their infants and pre-school aged children along, while those who were old enough to go to primary schools either remained in the longhouses that had schools nearby, or went to rural boarding schools.
One cannot argue with Fatimah, who is an educator by profession, and an exceptionally good one at that.
Having explored the issue of what education or schooling means to low achievers when she embarked on her doctorate studies, Fatimah is still obviously a teacher at heart, despite being fully involved in politics.
In her communication with me recently, she talked about how she had started off from being a teacher to becoming a hostel warden, and then moving on to being appointed as senior assistant and principal in several schools.
She also indicated that it had always been her dream to be an educator and obtain a PhD in the field.
She obtained her Masters in Education from the University of Bristol and it was in her first year in doctoral studies when she was asked to represent Barisan Nasional in the 2001 state election.
Let us go back to the matter of young families living in timber camps.
It is understandable why many of the locals working in these timber camps bring along their young ones. In most cases, they prefer to stay together as a family ? which is of course, encouraged.
Some do not want to burden their ageing parents at the longhouses with the task of caring for their little ones, preferring to bring them along until they are old enough to go to primary or boarding schools.
Of course, studies must first be carried out on the feasibility of setting up kindergartens in timber camps.
An alternative that the government should consider is to approach large timber companies to assist ? both physically and financially ? in setting up facilities for early childhood education in their camps.
These timber companies, after all, do have an obligation towards their workers ? whom many are far from home ? to provide as best as they can in terms of basic facilities and amenities at camps.
For these large companies, providing facilities for early childhood education can be a part of their corporate social responsibility towards the people.
Of course, by setting up these facilities, some of the young mothers who may have had some form of formal schooling, could also find themselves contributing to the effort by taking on paid positions as teaching aides.
Let us not just limit this possibility to timber camps, but also consider other remote project sites like the hydroelectric projects.
The story is similar at these sites ? young families relocating from longhouses to major project development sites, of which many are still considerably rural.
On a positive note, Fatimah had noted that the number of children who registered for Primary One and who had undergone pre-school education, was on the rise.
It was reported that this year there are 40,318 Primary One pupils in Sarawak who have had pre-school education compared to 40,083 pupils last year.
The difference is still considerably small. The increase of 235 students in the figures could very well mean an increase in the general population, and not necessarily an increase in awareness of the need for early childhood education.
Sarawak has always been a state of firsts. It is the first state in the country to come up with its own guidelines to ensure quality teaching and guidance in its kindergartens.
As of now, Sarawak has a total of 76,924 pupils receiving early childhood education in 3,031 kindergartens.
A total of 1,080 of these kindergartens are government-run, 170 under the National Unity and Integration Department, another 1,414 under Kemas and 367 private kindergartens.
It is crucial to create awareness of the importance of early childhood education among the young families in timber camps, and other remote project sites.
To many of these parents, pre-school or early childhood education may seem trivial. Many of them probably never received any formal early childhood education themselves.
They may even argue that their young ones can start learning when they register for Primary One but in the meantime, they can learn basic skills by following and observing their parents going about their daily chores.
There is no doubt that proper early childhood education can prepare a child for the basic skills necessary when he or she begins formal education.
Early childhood education prepares a child with basic reading, counting and writing skills. This actually gives them a head start for life in primary schools where they will find it easier to cope when they enter Primary One.
A child who receives early childhood education is placed with other children. By playing and learning together, they learn to deal with everyday situations such as how to share, communicate their thoughts and ideas as well as how to control and deal with their emotions.
Formal early childhood education should also be seen as an opportunity for a child?s personal growth and esteem building.
Research has shown that children who have had the opportunity to undergo early childhood education do better through their schooling years than their peers who are without pre-school education, and tend to be more successful as adults.
Fatimah?s call to set up kindergartens in timber camps is just and reflects the visionary educator that she is. Undeniably, early childhood education is essential for a child?s future.
The challenge now lies in how the groundwork for a formal system for early childhood education can be implemented in timber camps and remote sites. This will require input and effort from both the government and the companies involved.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/3/31/sarawak/11020894&sec=sarawak
khan academy game change own stacy francis tournament brackets 2012 ncaa basketball tournament uss enterprise
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.