KUCHING: The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) has implemented new regulations for the operation of Child Care Centres (Taska) and Child Education Centres (Tadika) to prevent incidents of children being left in cars.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, said that one of the new procedures in the standard operating procedure (SOP) for Taska and Tadika is the mandatory contact of parents immediately if a child is absent from class. This measure aims to avoid parents leaving their children in vehicles, a response to the increasing cases of child fatalities resulting from forgetful parents.
Taska and Tadika operators are now required to obtain additional contact numbers from family members other than parents to facilitate prompt action in case of emergencies.
Nancy explained, "KPWKM has revised the SOP following three cases of child fatalities after being left in cars within the past two months."
Operators must contact either parent if a child is absent from class, as it could be due to misunderstandings, such as a change in the routine of the caregiver.
Shukri said, "For example, the mother usually drops off the child, but on that day, the father unexpectedly takes the child, forgetting to go to Taska and heading straight to the office with the child locked in the car."
Speaking to the media after the Joint Media Night event organised by KPWKM and the Santubong Parliament, she said that the ministry has received various suggestions from the public to address the issue, but some are beyond their jurisdiction, like the proposal to ban the use of dark car windows.
Nancy added, "What we are doing is updating the SOP for Taska and Tadika, while matters like dark car windows fall under the jurisdiction of another ministry."
Meanwhile, she said that the Department of Child Development (JPKK), established on Sep 1, will be placed under the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) until 2026. This is due to several pending matters, including job appointments and amendments to related acts.
"For job appointments, we advertised 169 positions this year and received 11,000 applications. The interview process is ongoing. In 2024 and 2025, 245 positions need to be filled, so JPKK will have its own Director-General and separate from JKM in 2026," she explained.
Regarding the Sexual Harassment Tribunal, Nancy disclosed that she has discussed with the Attorney General, Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, about the 20 positions that need to be filled.
"The positions of president, deputy, and five legal-related positions need to be obtained from the Attorney General's Office, while others are for those already performing duties related to sexual harassment. All these positions need to be filled by the end of December," she said.
She also appealed for the creation of positions in the tribunal to represent Sabah and Sarawak to facilitate case management in these regions, as the tribunal is currently based in Kuala Lumpur.