By Diana Abd Wahab
SHAH ALAM, May 16 — Several countries in South America, Europe, and the United States have shown interest in the early childhood education programmes developed in Selangor.
State executive councillor for local government Ng Sze Han said that this was following his presentation, which shared the achievements and policies of the state government in creating child-friendly communities in Selangor, at an international forum in Panama recently.
“The efforts by two local councils, namely the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) and the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), in empowering early childhood education have successfully attracted the attention of participating countries in the forum.
“This includes MBSJ’s efforts to develop inclusive outdoor activities for children, including those with special needs, such as autism and Down syndrome.
“The programme is aimed at assisting these children in leading normal lifestyles,” he told Selangorkini when met after officiating the closing ceremony of the Muhibbah Camp 2023 at Universiti Islam Selangor, Hulu Langat, on Sunday.
Ng said that MBPJ received recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) as a learning city in 2019 due to the local authority’s efforts in providing free transportation for children attending 25 schools.
MBPJ will also receive the Child-Friendly City award from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in June.
“MBPJ is also establishing the Petaling Jaya Children’s Council (PJCC) and will appoint children as the council members, which would be included in the decision-making process to develop the city of Petaling Jaya.
“The countries involved (in the forum) have expressed interest and may visit Selangor after I introduced the programmes we have implemented in Selangor,” he said.
The state government offers eight education assistance programmes from preschool to university through the Iltizam Selangor Penyayang initiative.
Furthermore, Selangor prioritises the education of special needs children through the establishment of the Selangor Special Needs Children’s Department (Anis) Preschool Centre in Section 7, here, and the Anis Early Education Support Centre.
Moreover, the welfare initiatives for special needs children in the state have also been expanded to include benefits for treatment at specialised hospitals.
