Bright and early start
IN recent years, there has been much talk about Early Childhood Care and Education or ECCE. Under the Government Transformation Programme ( GTP), one of the National Key Result Areas ( NKRA) is to have a national target of around 30,000 qualified pre- school teachers by 2020 that hold a minimum of Diploma in Early Childhood Education ( DECE).
The importance of developing bright minds from an early age is now common knowledge. Thus, there is a higher demand for childcare centres to have trained ECCE practitioners so that children are given proper care and also the right educational exposure.
There is also now more awareness among ECCE practitioners on the importance of gaining a paper qualification in the field, to not only command a higher salary but also to also raise the level of professionalism in ECCE.
An internationally recognised ECCE qualification is much sought after in many developed countries, such as Singapore and Australia, enabling graduates of DECE to seek employment in other countries.
SEGi University and Colleges is one of the leading providers of the Diploma in Early Childhood Education programme in the country, with over 1,500 graduates in the ECCE field since 1999.
SEGi is also appointed Champion of EPP2 by Performance Management & Delivery Unit ( PEMANDU) under the Education National Key Economic Areas ( NKEA) to promote and train ECCE practitioners in the country.
The DECE programme aims to develop ECCE practitioners with knowledge and understanding of the care and education of young children by incorporating common core values of early childhood and childcare.
There is the choice to obtain either a Diploma from SEGi, or to obtain a dual award Diploma from both SEGi and also University of St Mark and St John ( MARJON) from the UK.
Graduates can look forward to a fulfilling career in teaching, ownership or management of a childcare or nursery, be part of educational product research and development, or be a pre- school management consultant.
The DECE qualification also leads to two Bachelor’s degree programmes in SEGi.
For details on the DECE programme, call SEGi College Subang Jaya ( 03- 8600 1888 / 1800 888 622); SEGi University ( 03- 6145 1777 / 1800 887 344); SEGi College Kuala Lumpur ( 03- 2070 2078 / 1800 888 028); SEGi College Penang ( 04- 263 3888); SEGi College Sarawak ( 082- 252 566); e- mail askme@ segi. edu. my or log on to www. segi. edu. my