We need better teachers instead of elite preschools, govt told

 

The government has proposed setting up improved preschools for children of M40 (middle-income) families.

PETALING JAYA: An early childhood education association has urged the government to improve the quality of preschool teachers, rather than focus on “elite” kindergartens.

The association said early childhood educators play a major role in shaping the young generation.

Chiam Heng Keng, president of the Early Childhood Care and Education Council Malaysia said the improved aspects of “elite” kindergartens would not be beneficial for children without good teachers.

“Elite preschools would not be able to produce good students if the teachers are not equipped with the needed skills set to shape the children during the early years of learning,” she said.

Chiam Heng Keng.

“The quality of teachers is more important than improved facilities.

“All kindergartens, be it elite or not, have the same curriculum approved by the national kindergarten association. The only differences are how creative a teacher can be to execute their lessons.”

The government has proposed to set up “elite” kindergartens improved facilities and learning modules under Kemas for children from the M40 group of middle-income families.

Chiam, who founded the early childhood education programmes at the University of Malaya, said the preschool proposal would give the impression that B40 children (from lower-income families) do not have the equal opportunity to succeed in life, widening the education gap between the two groups.

She said the proposal would also hinder the cognitive development of children. “M40 children would think more highly of themselves than they should, and that they are better than those without financial capability,” she said.

Teo Nie Ching.

She urged the government to use the elite preschools budget to train teachers instead.

“Kemas should make sure all teachers in their centre are well trained,” she said adding that more staff should be employed in the centres to cater to the needs of the children.

Former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching said the government had completely misunderstood the meaning and purpose of education.

“The proposal of elite preschools is basically saying that only rich kids can get a good education, which totally defeats the purpose of closing the gap among students through education,” Teo told FMT.

She said the government did not need to provide a different school for M40 families. “Those parents who can afford it can always send their children to private or international schools.” - FMT