Govt to streamline pre-school education system

 

Putrajaya has decided to streamline the pre-school education system and have its coordination handled by a single ministry, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said.

In a press conference, he said the cabinet agreed for the Education Ministry to run point on the matter to ensure that the quality of kindergartens is at par.

“During the cabinet meeting today, it was decided that the ministry will coordinate the country’s pre-school education system.

“This was one of the decisions reached today. There was also a decision made on several school curriculums, for example, (the syllabus) on Islamic education will be put under the Islamic Development Department.

“The decisions are aimed at streamlining the quality of education nationwide,” Fahmi added.

Several different pre-school education systems are being used in the country.

In the government sector, three ministries - the Education Ministry, Rural and Regional Development Ministry, and National Unity Ministry - have been running separate kindergartens, while several state religious authorities also operate their own pre-schools.

On top of this, there are also different systems offered by privately run entities, including the Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam or Pasti run by PAS.

When asked if the streamlining will also involve private pre-schools, Fahmi believed that it would be “menyeluruh” (holistic) based on discussions at the cabinet meeting.

However, he said more details on the move will be revealed by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who is expected to issue a statement soon.

Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil

Combating online crimes

Fahmi also announced a cabinet decision to establish a technical committee to address legal loopholes in combating online crimes.

The committee will involve joint efforts across the Communications Ministry, Digital Ministry, and the Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division.

“This decision was made based on information received about criminal activities being done online, including drug pushing, online gambling, and others like selling sex videos - as what happened recently,” the communications minister said.

According to Fahmi, the committee aims to review legal provisions and also learn from other countries on how they address online crimes.

“We will see if there are laws from other countries that we can emulate here for our benefit, to ensure the safety of our internet users, especially our children.”