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Fatimah: Special Yearly Grant Of RM16 Mln To Continue Next Year

Date : 24 October 2019     Source : The Borneo Post Online

Fatimah (standing eighth left) poses with the children who participated in the 2nd edition of Showcase Sarawak Kids Got Talent 2019. Also seen are Rosey (ninth left standing) and others.

 

KUCHING: The special yearly grant of RM16 million for registered nurseries and kindergartens under Sarawak Early Children Education Institution (IPAKK) throughout the state launched this year will be continued in 2020.

In stating this, Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, said each of the nurseries and kindergartens will receive RM5,000 from the grant, regardless of whether they are in urban or rural areas and private or government owned.

She said as end of September this year, 92 per cent of the 3,030 registered nurseries and kindergartens had applied for the grant and RM10,100,000 had been disbursed.

“This year, the state government has approved RM16 million annual grant for the IPAKK to be given to all registered taska and kindergartens, and this grant will continue for 2020, approved by our Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.

“The remaining are still under process, and hopefully you will be able to get the allocations by end of this year,” said Fatimah when speaking at the 2nd edition of Showcase Sarawak Kids Got Talent 2019 at one of the international hotels here yesterday.

Fatimah said the grant was for free meals to ensure the pupils have balanced diet for physical development and growth, fun learning and interactive activities and purchasing learning materials, parental involvement in children’s education and learning and professional development of teachers through lifelong learning.

On another matter, she disclosed that the ministry had been allocated RM4 million by Petronas as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) to build a One-Stop Early Intervention Centre (OSEIC), which will be managed by Pibakat and open for operation from January 2020 at Metro City, Matang.

“OSEIC is a one-stop centre for early detection, followed by intervention and rehabilitation for autism and down-syndrome children aged seven and below.

“With early detection and intervention, special needs children could be assisted to improve their capabilities to do their daily activities and to prepare them going to school, be it in the prime stream, integrations or special streams,” she said.

Apart from that, she said this centre will provide support programme and education for parents and guidance.

“This CSR programme is to assist parents and guardians to understand special needs children, and to be able to manage and help their children,” she said.

On the Sarawak Kids Got Talent programme, she said it was for children aged 4 to 6 years from private and government nurseries and kindergartens.

“This year is the second year our ministry organised ‘Showcase Sarawak Kids Got Talent’. It gives the children the space and opportunity to show their talents and interests, apart from collaborations between teachers and parents to help the children move forward,” she said.

This year’s activities for the Sarawak Kids Got Talent programme included public speaking in Bahasa Melayu, English and Iban, dance, arts, singing and special talent competitions.

Among those present were Fatimah’s assistant ministers Datuk Francis Harden Hollis and Rosey Yunus, and Sarawak Islamic Council Education Service Bureau director Datu Adi Badiozaman Tuah.



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