I OPERATE a private pre-school and I know early childhood learning is one of the Government's top priorities ("More pre-schools with lower fees in the pipeline"; March 14).
There has been much talk on the number and location of centres, and the Government has been enthusiastic in providing centres and designing the best curriculum.
However, it seems to have overlooked one important thing - teachers.
There is a dire shortage of teachers at early childhood education institutions.
Operators of pre-schools and childcare centres try hard to fulfil the requirements of the Early Childhood Development Agency (Ecda) by looking for teachers with the right qualifications.
They frequently place advertisements and offer attractive remuneration and flexible working hours, but they are confronted with the reality that there are few qualified applicants coming forward.
The strict terms and conditions to ensure centres recruit highly qualified staff is a noble objective but is not feasible when demand exceeds supply.
What measures have the authorities taken to find a solution to this problem?
Perhaps Ecda could set up more training centres to attract more individuals to be trained as early childhood teachers.
I hope Ecda can do more to assure quality education at an affordable price.
Syed Alwi Altahir
There has been much talk on the number and location of centres, and the Government has been enthusiastic in providing centres and designing the best curriculum.
However, it seems to have overlooked one important thing - teachers.
There is a dire shortage of teachers at early childhood education institutions.
Operators of pre-schools and childcare centres try hard to fulfil the requirements of the Early Childhood Development Agency (Ecda) by looking for teachers with the right qualifications.
They frequently place advertisements and offer attractive remuneration and flexible working hours, but they are confronted with the reality that there are few qualified applicants coming forward.
The strict terms and conditions to ensure centres recruit highly qualified staff is a noble objective but is not feasible when demand exceeds supply.
What measures have the authorities taken to find a solution to this problem?
Perhaps Ecda could set up more training centres to attract more individuals to be trained as early childhood teachers.
I hope Ecda can do more to assure quality education at an affordable price.
Syed Alwi Altahir
