By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 24: Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY) Sarawak secretary George Lam Li Kang has urged the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to review its blanket policy of closing Taska (childcare centres) and Tadika (kindergartens) when the Air Pollutant Index (API) exceeds 200, warning of the impact on working parents.
He said the policy could place significant pressure on dual-income families, where both parents work and may have to take annual or emergency leave to care for their children when Taska and kindergartens are closed.
“Today, most families are dual-income families, with both parents having to work.
“If the current cross-border haze situation is addressed simply based on whether schools and childcare centres are closed, requiring childcare centres or kindergartens to close whenever the API exceeds 200 could have a direct impact on many working families.
“One parent may have to take annual leave, or even take emergency leave, to care for their children at home,” he said in a statement today.
Lam said the health and safety of children must remain the priority, but a blanket closure may not always be necessary, particularly for facilities equipped with proper indoor environments and adequate protective measures.
He said many childcare centres and kindergartens already had indoor activity spaces, while teachers could closely monitor children’s health and completely prohibit outdoor activities during periods of severe haze.
“With these protective measures in place, keeping children in a safe indoor environment provides a level of protection comparable to keeping them at home,” he explained.
Lam therefore proposed that SDMC distinguish between childcare centres and kindergartens based on their actual conditions, including the availability of proper indoor facilities, air management systems and their ability to completely prohibit outdoor activities.
He said facilities meeting the required health and safety standards should be allowed to remain open even when the API exceeds 200.
Lam also said the situation involving childcare centres and kindergartens was different from that of primary and secondary schools when closures were imposed due to poor air quality.
While schoolchildren could continue their lessons from home through online classes or teaching videos, he said young children could not be expected to remain focused on screens for extended periods.
“Teachers cannot rely solely on screens to provide the necessary care, interaction and learning. This could affect the children’s learning progress and daily routines,” he said.
Lam said a more targeted policy would allow authorities to protect children from haze exposure without unnecessarily disrupting the work arrangements of families.
He stressed that reviewing the policy should not be seen as lowering health and safety standards for children.
“Rather, I hope the authorities can strike a better balance between children’s safety, early childhood education and the practical needs of families, and adopt a more targeted and flexible approach in dealing with the haze instead of applying a blanket closure policy,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
