MELAKA, April 23 (Bernama) -- A total of 136 childcare centres, registered under the Social Welfare Department (JKM) as of December last year, have begun receiving their Registered Nursery Plaques, with installation taking place in stages starting this month.
State Women's Affairs, Family Development and Welfare Committee chairman Datuk Kalsom Nordin said the installation of the plaques, carried out by the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM), was aimed at making it easier for parents to identify registered nurseries before sending their children.
She said that 100 nurseries in Melaka Tengah, Alor Gajah (16), and Jasin (20) were involved in the installation of the plaques, which had to be placed in easily visible spots.
“This new initiative, implemented by KPWKM, aims to prevent parents from sending their children to unregistered nurseries, which could expose them to safety risks and incidents of abuse.
“It is a commendable effort, and in Melaka, the installation of the plaques will be implemented in stages until the end of this year,” she told reporters after the installation of the Registered Nurseries Plaque at Taska Bijak Cemerlang Ceria today. Also present was Melaka JKM director Halyjah Muhammad.
Commenting further, Kalsom said that each plaque was equipped with a QR code, allowing parents or the public to access information related to the nursery by simply scanning the code.
Therefore, she urged nursery operators who had not yet registered to do so immediately to avoid any legal action.
Meanwhile, Kalsom said that the state JKM had carried out 17 enforcement actions against unregistered daycare centres and nurseries in Melaka over a 15-month period, starting in January last year.
She said the enforcement actions, which included compounds, were taken for offences such as failure to register, babysitters not attending the Permata Early Childhood Care and Education Course, and the absence of adequate closed-circuit cameras in the nurseries.
“During the same period, we also carried out 25 enforcement actions on registered daycare centres and nurseries, which included the cancellation of registration, written notices, and the closure of premises due to violations of operating procedures,” she said.
-- BERNAMA
