Kindergartens, pre-schools and daycare centres had been allowed to operate during the movement control order so that parents could go to work, under the National Security Council MCO rules.
However, in yet another conflicting message from the authorities, the education ministry has now issued a notice to all private education operators running pre-schools, daycare centres, kindergartens and international schools in MCO areas that they are to cease operations from today to June 6.
In Penang, where three districts and three sub-districts are placed under MCO, parents were forced to rush from work to kindergartens and daycare centres merely an hour after they had sent their children there.
A children’s daycare and kindergarten centre in Air Itam was told to close abruptly at 10 am, after ushering in students at 8.30am. The centre’s other branches in the same district were also told to cease operations.
The operator said the order came from the district education office or PPD at about 10am this morning, without much explanation on the U-turn.
“The PPD told us over the weekend there was no order for childcare centres or kindergartens to close. So we told parents that our centres would remain open this week.
“If we had been told about this closure earlier, we could have told parents not to send their kids over,” the operator, who wanted to remain anonymous, told FMT.
In a message forwarded by the PPD to all operators, all private education centres are to cease operations from today to June 6.
The message, signed by the private education division of the education ministry, said the ban includes international and expatriate schools; tuition centres; development centres, language centres and private pre-schools (tadika swasta).
Exceptions are given to those sitting for international examinations, such as the IGCSE, IBDP and other foreign papers. It urged those ordered to close to revert to online learning. No further explanation was given.
Persatuan Pengusaha Institusi Pendidikan Pulau Pinang chief Lim Beng Suat said over 70 of its members running children’s daycare, kindergartens and tuition centres have received the same notification.
Former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching, in a Facebook post, also revealed that many other centres in Selangor and her parliamentary constituency of Kulai had received such notices from the education authorities.
She asked why government-operated childcare centres under the welfare department, however, were allowed to operate, while others were ordered to close.
Parent JS Lim, who was seen picking up her child at a centre in Air Itam, said she and her husband were working and daycare was vital as she had no family to take care of her three-year-old son.
“I know the (Covid-19) case numbers are up, but we have no choice to send our son here, someone has to look after him as we are at work,” the 34-year-old executive said.
Another parent, who only wanted to be known as Sri, said he had to drive back to the daycare centre in Air Itam from Bayan Baru to pick his daughter, going through a near one-hour MCO roadblock.
“They should have told us earlier. I could have made plans to send my child to my in-laws,” he said.
Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy, who is also state education committee chairman, said there was no notification by the National Security Council to shutter daycare centres or kindergartens during the MCO.
“We know that each MCO has a different set of rules. We were not told about the impending closure, and as far as we know, these childcare centres and kindies are to remain open.
“It appears that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. We can only hope they get their act together,” he said.
State welfare committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, on the other hand, said a barrage of complaints have been received from parents in MCO-affected areas in the state, with most forced to return home due to the sudden announcement.
He said according to state data, there are 39 daycare centres (children and old folks) of various types and 26 Taska or childcare centres in the north-east district registered under the welfare department.
There are a total of 105 daycare and 132 childcare centres in the state.
FMT has reached out to the education ministry for comment.