An early childhood education association has called on the government to introduce legislation, similar to the Legal Professions Act, for childcare centre employees.
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) council member Karen Tan made the call following the recent deaths of infants at such centres.
Tan said generally when such incidents occur, the operator would have their licences revoked.
“But the caregiver who committed the wrongdoing can usually walk free and work in another centre,” she said at a press conference organised by the Association of Registered Childcare Providers Malaysia, here.
Tan said such legislation would help reduce instances of child neglect and abuse as it would make caregivers more accountable.
The proposed law could also bring improvements to the industry as it would set certain standards, she said.
“At the end of the day, those in the industry require continuous training for diverse professional development,” Tan added.
Just last month, a six-month-old boy died at a childcare centre in Melaka, believed to be due to suffocation, while a three-year-old girl at the centre suffered an injury to her left ear from a blow by a caregiver. Police are probing the case for negligence.
Separately, the association’s president Norsheila Abdullah said she is planning to chair a roundtable later this year with state governments to provide suggestions to strengthen policies and initiatives it seeks to implement.
The association also mooted several proposals to improve on initiatives under the 13th Malaysia Plan for early childhood care.
