OPERATORS and teachers of childcare centres (taska) and kindergartens (tadika) have opposed Putrajaya’s proposal to introduce regulations that would compel them to contact parents if a child was absent from class.

They said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri, who tabled the proposal, should first adopt a soft approach by encouraging these centres and teachers to report the incident rather than forcing them to do so by law.

National Preschool Teachers Association president Sally Ng told The Malaysian Insight the soft approach would make industry players receptive to measures to curb the escalating instances of children being left in cars, resulting in deaths.

Nancy on November 13 stressed the importance of revising the standard operating procedure (SOP) for taska and tadika, saying the revamped SOP would require daycare operators to promptly contact parents if a child was missing from class, preventing oversight or changes in caregivers’ routines that could lead to children being unintentionally left in cars.

Ng asked why it should be mandatory for taska and tadika to be that proactive when parents should be responsible for their children’s welfare.

“They cannot rely entirely on childcare centres.”

She said it is unfair to shift the blame to centres in such unfortunate incidents.

“Most people do not understand how busy childcare centres are in the morning. Teachers are stretched thin, handling crying children.”

Ng asked why it was so difficult for parents to remember their responsibilities.

She said a simple note stuck to their steering wheels would do the trick.

“The responsibility of childcare centres from the moment they take over the children is already quite significant, so the government should not impose these measures and shift the responsibility onto us,” Ng said.

Lydia Looi, a licensed kindergarten and childcare centre operator, also criticised the proposed SOP, saying it would shift the blame for kids’ deaths on the centres and not the parents.

“These accidents happen because of parents’ negligence, so the system should go after the parents.

“Instead, the responsibility has been placed on childcare centres.”

Looi, who is also a consultant of the Perak Kindergarten Teachers Association, said childcare centres do ask parents when their children are absent.

But Looi said it is not possible for the centres to make such calls immediately.

She said insufficient time and lack of manpower make it challenging to make so many individual calls.

“Do we just focus on making calls and neglect the children already at the centre? At most, we can make calls to enquire after the day is over.

“We also would like parents to tell us if their child would be absent,” Looi said.

Sandy Yap, a parent, said though the government has good intentions, the ultimate responsibility of taking care of the child lies with the parents.

Yap said parents should develop a habit of checking their cars for their kids.

“Parents should not delegate those responsibilities to childcare centres.”

The proposed SOP revision came about following three incidents of toddlers dying after being left in cars by their parents.

• In early October, an eight-month-old girl died after she was left in a car at Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

The girl was left in the vehicle when her mother, a doctor at the hospital, went to work thinking she had already sent the child to a daycare centre.

• On October 26, a 16-month-old girl died after her father left her in a car at a public university in Terengganu.

It was reported the father forgot to take his daughter to a daycare centre on the campus where he works.

By the time he remembered and rushed to the car, the girl was unconscious.

• On November 9, a two-year-old girl died after being left alone in a vehicle for eight hours. The incident occurred in Ara Damansara after the mother forgot to drop off the child at kindergarten.

Consultant paediatrician and child disability activist Dr Amar Singh HSS dubbed these incidents “forgotten baby syndrome”.

In a recent letter signed by several child activists, Amar said it could happen to any parent or caregiver, adding it was not an issue of neglect, but one of the burdens of modern responsibilities on parents’ lives.

He said everyone must develop good habits when transporting children in vehicles. – November 22, 2023.