Issues and challenges in early childhood care and education centre registration process: What the operators say?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/saecj.vol10.sp.5.2021Keywords:
issues and challenges, ecce centre registration, ecce operatorsAbstract
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centre registration is an important aspect in promoting quality ECCE. Quality ECCE plays an important role in promoting holistic development for children. In the Malaysian context, ECCE is managed under a dichotomous system which is overseen by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and the Ministry of Education. The ECCE registration process involves various departments, and hence, the operators need to deal with different authorities in adherence with the rules and regulations set by each authority. The objectives of this study are to explore the perceptions of the ECCE operators on the centre registration process and to investigate the challenges faced by them in the registration process. This study adopted a mixed-method research which involves 127 respondents in the survey and 53 participants in focus group interviews. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using SPSS and NVivo respectively. From the findings, the operators showed high awareness of the registration guidelines and the consequences of non-registration. They also highlighted concerns in terms of the clarity of the policy information for centre registration, as well as challenges faced in the registration process. The quantitative findings were further supported by the qualitative findings, whereby the operators revealed the challenges faced in the complex ECCE centre registration process as well as the inconsistent requirements for registration. Hence, shared responsibility and effective coordination should be further looked at, in the continuous efforts in promoting quality ECCE.
Downloads
References
Chan, B., Lee, M., & Choy, G. (2009). Competing forces: Government policy, teacher education, and school administration in Hong Kong early childhood education. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 3(1), 75-86.
Creswell, J. W., & Guetterman, T. C. (2019). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Pearson.
Gamuda Berhad. (2020). Workplace daycare: A growing popularity and a necessity. https://gamuda.com.my/2020/02/workplace_daycare_a_growing_popularity_and_a_necessity/blog/
Malaysia Productivity Corporation. (2016). Rationalising revenue raising - Business licenses (Local government). http://www.mpc.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Rationalising-Raising-Revenue.pdf
Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2019). Quick fact 2019: Malaysia educational statistics. https://www.moe.gov.my/muat-turun/penerbitan-dan-jurnal/terbitan/buku-informasi/2722-quick-facts-2019/file
Ng, S. B. (2010). Governance of education related ECCE policies in Malaysia. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 4, 45-57.
Nyland, B., & Ng, J. (2015). International perspectives on early childhood curriculum changes in Singapore and Australia. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 24(3), 465-476.
Prime Minister’s Department. (2017). Government Transformation Programme: 2017 annual report. http://www.myrekatech.com/main/medias/NTP_AR2017_ENG.pdf
Povera, A. (2020, June 4). Come forward and register illegal childcare centres. New Straits Times.
Rhee, O., Kim, E., Shin, N., & Moon, M. (2008). Developing models to integrate early childhood education and childcare in Korea. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 2(1), 53-66.
Singh, M. (2018). Unregistered childcare centres a concern. Twenty Two 13. https://twentytwo13.my/expressions/unregistered-childcare-centres-a-concern/
Tan, C. T. (2017). Enhancing the quality of kindergarten education in Singapore: Policies and strategies in the 21st century. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 11(7), 1-22.
The HEAD Foundation. (2019). Education policy in Malaysia: Implementation challenges and policy proposals. https://www.nottingham.edu.my/Education/documents/education-leadership-conference/The-HEAD-Foundation-Policy-Brief-No.-7-Educational-Policy-in-Malaysia-Implementation-Challenges-and-Policy-Proposals-Feb.pdf
The Star. (2019, August 15). Childcare centre operator fined RM8, 000 for operating without licence.
The Sun Daily. (2016, March 16). 31 unregistered preschools identified in 2015.
Tsegay, S. M., Kansale, C., & Goll, S. P. (2017). An analysis of early childhood education policy in China. Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education, 11(1), 69-84.
Ujang, M. H. (2013). Problems and challenges faced by Malaysian childcare sector: Law and public policy journal. Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/MohdHasimUjang/brief-analysis-on-the-problems-and-challenges-faced-by-childcare-sector-in-malaysia-69745121
Zoharah, O., Aminah, A., & Rusnah, J. (2007). Establishing a children centre at workplace in Malaysia: Issues & challenges. Malaysian Social Matters.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Tong Hoey Chin, Chan Yi Bing, Mogana Dhamotharan, Mazlina Che Mustafa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.