Kindy operators welcome reopening of childcare centres, hope theirs will be next
MIRI: Kindergarten operators are hopeful that they would soon be given the green light to reopen following the government’s decision yesterday to allow nurseries and childcare centres to do so.
Taska Cergas Gemilang and Tadika Gemilang headmistress Chai Kim Kui said the move to allow taskas (childcare centres) to reopen under a strict standard operating procedure ( SOP) is an indication that the Covid19 situation in the country has stabilised.
However, she felt that even with the decision to reopen childcare centres, some parents would still be hesitant for their children to return due to lingering fears over the virus.
“I think some parents are still not ready to send their kids off yet because of the fear of the virus. But the others (parents) have said they are confident because of the actions we have taken so far, and they are not worried,” she said when contacted yesterday.
According to Chai, despite having been closed for three months, Taska Cergas Gemilang and Tadika Gemilang have been carrying out disinfection works each day.
“We also called up the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) last week to disinfect our centre. Now that taskas are allowed to reopen, we will strictly follow the SOP set by the government,” she added.
She said while the kindergarten has been carrying out online teaching over the past three months, it was not an easy task as some of the children found it difficult to concentrate when learning from home.
“Our six-year-old pupils will graduate this year and their parents are worried about whether they can keep up once they enter Primary 1. But I’m sure they will be alright,” she said.
Meanwhile, Tadika Bandar Peranginan headmistress Melissa Lau said she too is hopeful that kindergartens would soon be allowed to reopen.
“I’m glad to hear about the announcement to reopen taskas, and I hope it will be the same with tadikas (kindergartens) because we are worried about working parents who have children in both taska and tadika.
“For us, we are well-versed with the SOP and are fully ready to comply with it,” she said.
Lau said her kindergarten has been conducting online lessons over the past three months while also maintaining all of their staff with full pay despite waiving fees for April and May.
“We will waive our fees for June too if we still can’t reopen this month. It is definitely a challenging time for all of us, but we need to help each other out especially as this pandemic has affected everyone,” she said.