THE Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri said the National Special Education Seminar 2023 will be expanded nationwide and is to be mandatory for all kindergarten and childcare centres who handle children with special needs.

“We do not want to leave anyone out. We have identified there are childcare providers without such training,” she said at a press conference after the launch in Santubong today.

She said seminars are being rolled with allocations from the ministry.

Nancy said of the 107,020 children with special needs under the Education Ministry as of January 31 this year, only 7,582 are registered with the Social Welfare Department, which makes it a challenge for the ministry to take early intervention before they start schooling.

She urged parents to register their children saying there is a lack of awareness and the ministry will collaborate with NGOs to conduct more promotions.

So far, the Social Welfare Department has established 11 kindergartens for children with special needs and plans to increase the number next year, she added.

Earlier, the chairman of the National Association of Early Childhood Care and Education of Malaysia, Shamsinah Che Shariff, said the association will continue to overcome issues and challenges in early childhood education and daycare faced by Malaysia.

“I hope this seminar will become the platform where experts can share information, knowledge, and experience towards the type of early education we wish for,” she said. – Bernama, November 18, 2023.