Parents’ perceptions on policies of early childhood care and education programmes in selected states of Malaysia

The history of ECCE in Malaysia

The history of early childhood care and education started in the 1950s. From 1950 to 1960, kindergartens in Malaysia were opened by socialist Christians as part of church activities. Almost all kindergartens were owned by individual or private agencies in town areas (Hutchins, 1995; Heng, 2008). The fees were expensive to serve the children who were from rich families. Around 1969, the Asia Foundation contributed financial assistance to the Worker Society of Malaysia to develop a model of kindergarten called Taman Didikan Kanak-Kanak (TADIKA) in the Malay language similar to a project in the United States (Hutchins, 1995). In 1970, the launching of the New Economic Policy which focused on the eradication of illiteracy by the Department of Community Development (KEMAS) was established. The department of Neighbourhood and National Unity and the Ministry of Federal Territory made a decision to establish Taman Didikan Kanak-Kanak (TADIKA) or Taman Bimbingan Kanak-Kanak (TABIKA) for children aged 4 to 6 years. In 1972, the Ministry of Education enacted a special parliamentary act for early childhood education called Education Act 1961 (Ministry of Education, 2020).

From 1972 to 1976, Maktab Perguruan Ilmu Khas (MPIK) (Special Education Teaching College) offered a course to train teachers in early childhood education. After that, the same programs were developed by the teaching colleges and government universities in Malaysia. In 1984, the Children Centre Act was established and in 1986 the Preschool Teachers Guide Book was published. This book was published for the purpose of enhancing the skills and creativity of preschool teachers.

From 1990, government departments were actively developing early childhood education, and the number of early childhood education institutions continued to increase, broadening the education of children. In 1993, the Malaysian Preschool Education Guidelines were introduced and adopted by preschools under the Ministry of Education (Heng, 2008; Suseela Malakolunthu, & Nagappan. Rengasamy, 2012). According to the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2012-2025), clear targets were set in terms of quality early childhood education. One of the first stage targets is that the enrollment rate reaches 92% in preschools. All the preschools must be registered and abide by the regulations of the Ministry of Education. The National Early Childcare & Education Curriculum (PERMATA, 0-4 years) and National Preschool Curriculum Standards (KSPK, 4-6 years) are the main references for early childhood curriculum in a preschool. In accordance with the guidelines of the preschool education curriculum, teachers inspire children's intelligence and creativity by playing games and playing with teaching. The education bureaus in the states supervise whether the kindergartens comply with educational guidelines (UPSI National Education Museum, Tanjung Malim, Malaysia; Shaeffer, 2016).

Policies of ECCE in Malaysia

The Malaysian government has put forth various laws and guidelines in the field of ECCE. There are educational policies and practices to address cultural diversity in Malaysia including issues and challenges (Malakolunthu & Rengasamy, 2012; Phoon et al., 2013). The Education Development Master Plan 2001-2010, the Education Blueprint 2006-2010, and the Education Blueprint 2013-2015 have become the main guidelines for the education sector and securing funding for this sector. The 1984 Child Care Act, amended in 2007, refers to all early childhood care and education programmes for children under the age of 4 (Child Care Centre Act 1984, 1984). Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 and Child Act 2001 (amendment in 2016) emphasized a child’s right to gain an education. The Education Act (1996) has included preschool education as part of the national school system. The National Education Act and Childcare Centre Regulation 1972 (revised draft 2012) formally integrated pre-primary education into the education system. In addition, some guiding policies which are related to early education were formulated such as Malaysian Education Blueprint (2012-2025), Eleventh Malaysian Plan (2016-2020), Country Health Plan 2015, and National Early Childcare and Education Policy 2008. However, the implementation of these policies is less than satisfactory (Ng, 2010; Phoon et al., 2013).

Policies of ECCE programmes in Malaysia

According to the policy, ECCE in Malaysia is broadly divided into two age groups including 0-4 years old and 4-6 years old (Early Childhood Care and Education Policy Implementation Review, 2008). Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development takes over responsibility for child care and coordinates national programs on the growth and development of children ages zero to four years old in childcare centers (also known as Taman Asuhan Kanak-Kanak). Preschool education (also known as Taman Didikan Kanak-Kanak) for the children who are four to six years old comes under three ministries, namely the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, as well as the National Unity Department. Moreover, to ensure quality teaching, the National Preschool Curriculum Standards and National Early Childcare and Education Curriculum used in preschools are standardised to ensure that all pupils are able to become literate and calculate before beginning formal education at the primary level (Mid-term Review Ninth Malaysia Plan 2006-2010, 2010).

A significant change was made in preschool education in Malaysia in 2001. “The Council of Ministers gave its approval for the expansion of Preschool Programmes in education and also articulated in the National Preschool Curriculum that learning and teaching would be enacted in a more holistic, interesting and more orderly way” (Abdul Halim Masnan, 2010, p.3). To guarantee children’s health and safety, National Child Policy and Action Plan, National Family Policy and Action Plan, National Nutrition Policy as well as Child Health Services Policy were carried out. The National Preschool Quality Standard (SKPK) and National Quality Assurance System (PERMATA Q) are important policies implemented for the assessment of quality standards for preschools in Malaysia (Raman & Sua, 2010; Jelas & Ali, 2014; Cheong, Hill & Leong, 2016).

Quality ECCE programmes and parents’ perspectives on ECCE Policies

Lassalle and Nektarios (2018) stated that several conditions contribute to the quality ECCE programs such as the learning environment, professional teachers and caregivers, the relationships among families and teachers as well as communities. Moreover, ECCE policy implementation is important in preschools. Bennett and Neuman (2004) argued that one of the main means of ensuring high-quality education for children is to formulate national education frameworks and policies and provide teachers and parents with intensive in-service training so that they can understand and comply with relevant laws and regulations. It is necessary to pay attention to parents’ perspectives and the interaction between parents and teachers. However, parents are rarely included as participants in research (Vuorinen, 2018) and therefore parents are not aware of the policies. Lack of correct parenting perspectives involving cultural, ethnic or personal values, or lack of interest in acquiring early childhood knowledge that could benefits parents to understand children rights for the education, can result in the the short and long term lack of educational awarness. (Vargas-barón, 2016). Some ECCE policies are brief “policy statements”, formally establishing the country’s intention on young child development. Inadequate attention of parents’ and children’s rights organzations is the reason ECCE polices are not sucessfully implemented (Vargas-barón, 2016). Haddad (2002) concluded an overview of the current situation and recent changes in ECCE policy in developed and developing countries and reported that new government policies have brought about a wide range of reforms addressing the family influence on children’s development in a developed country.

In Malaysia, many comprehensive policies are in place. However, the implementation of the policies is less than satisfactory (Ng, 2010). Although inclusive education was implemented at the policy level for more than ten years, Malaysia is far from reaching the goal of providing a responsive education path for every child (Jelas & Ali, 2014, p.997). On the other hand, parents lack “political will” which is linked to political interests; cultural, national, or personal values, and they are concerned about the information and resources of early education (Kunagaratnam, & Loh, 2010; Vargas-barón, 2016). This paper focuses on the perspectives of parents on the policy implementation of ECCE programs.

Aims of the study and research design

The general aim of the study is to investigate parents’ perspectives of quality ECCE programs related to policies. The study aims to answer the following questions:

An explanatory mixed research design was employed in this study to investigate parents’ perceptions on the policy of the ECCE, and the main challenges faced in the implementation of ECCE. The first intent of the research was to collect and analyze quantitative data to find out parents’ views of existing ECCE policies. For this purpose, a questionnaire was distributed to parents in the selected states of Malaysia and provided the general outcomes of the study. Then the researcher engaged in a qualitative phase by doing focus group interviews to help explain the quantitative research results. The triangulation of the data helps to capture the overall picture of ECCE policy implementation of quality ECCE programs in Malaysia and evaluate the policy implementation in preschools based on parents’ perceptions which is beneficial for preschools to improve the quality of education and promote the further implementation of the ECCE policy in Malaysia.

Ethics and consent

This study examined government policies for the early childcare education in Malaysia under the national research project titled “Development of a Comprehensive and Integrated Model of Quality Malaysian ECCE”. This study is approved by the Institutional Review Board from the SEGI University with the approval number: SEGi/LRGS/2015-0024-106-04 on 6 September 2017. Informed written (questionnaires) and oral (focus groups) consent was taken from participants who wished to take part in this study.

30 participants were approached for the focus group interviews. 22 gave consent to participate and 8 refused and were not included further. The COREQ guidelines were followed in reporting this research.

Reflexivity

The researchers are familiar with the study location and did not face any problems reaching out to the participants. Researchers first established a good rapport with participants and explained the purpose of the study. This way we developed the trust of the participants in the researchers. The researchers and participants did not have a relationship prior to the study.

Three authors hold PhDs, and one author is in the final year of their PhD. All authors have prior experience with ECCE research and practice.

Participants

The participants are parents who have children in an ECCE programme in the selected states of Malaysia: Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang, Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Sarawak, and Sabah. Tadika and Taska schools for the ECCE in the urban and rural areas among the 12 states were selected using a systematic sampling method to cover maximum number of parents. While picking up or dropping off their children to the schools, parents were approached by the research team to take part in the study. The study purpose was explained to them and questionnaires distributed in-person to those who consented to take part.

Questionnaires

The questionnaire (P1/POL for parents) from the national research project entitled “Development of a Comprehensive and Integrated Model of Quality Malaysian ECCE” which is used to examine current government policies, regulations and legislation pertaining to Malaysian ECCE in the context of integration between policy and practice was used in this study. The questionnaire consisted of demographics, parents’ views of policy including nine items, and parents’ views of ECCE programs including 62 items. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were measured and considered excellent (Cronbach’s alpha= 0.932). A total of 629 questionnaires were distributed to participants and 543 usable valid questionnaires were used in this research study. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS.20) was used to conduct the analysis of the quantitative data to answer the research questions “do parents know the policies of early childhood care and education, and in what way do parents know the policies of ECCE”. Table 1 shows the demographics of the respondents.

Focus groups

30 participants were randomly selected to take part in the focus group interviews. 8 refused to participate without giving a reason and were not included further. A total of 22 participants took part in focus group interviews. The interviews were conducted in a private meeting room in a nearby school. There was no one present beside the participants and researchers. Field notes were taken in all interviews, and the groups who consented to it were audio recorded (groups 1-3). Interviews lasted approximately 20 minutes.

There were five participants from Selangor, six participants from Kuala Lumpur, six participants from Sarawak, two participants from Melaka, two participants from Pahang, and one participant from Sabah, and they were in five interview groups. The audio recordings were transcribed and the transcriptions and field notes were analyzed by using Nvivo V.10 software. The portion of data was coded during the first and second cycle coding process. Codes were established for key concepts related to the research and based on what outcomes from the parents’ perceptions. The themes were derived from the codings, categorization and analytic reflection based on parents’ perceptions on the policies and challenges of quality ECCE programmes.

Quantitative data demographic analysis

Table 1 indicates the demographic information of the participants and shows most of the respondents (N=330) are female. Half (N=271) of the respondents are aged 31-40 years old, and the highest qualifications are SPM (Malaysian Certificate of Education; N=247) followed by a degree (N=184). Half of the respondents are Chines (N=269) followed by Malay race (N=174), and among 12 states of the Malaysia most of the respondents are from the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. In Malaysia, two major early child care education programs approved by the government are called Taska and Tidka; Taska mainly deals with early child care for ages 0-4 years and a nursing program, while Tidka accepts children age 4. In this study most of the parents were registered with Tidka schools.

To investigate whether parents know the policies of ECCE, the frequency and percent of policy documents were analyzed. For the answers to the item “It is important for parents to know the policy documents”, 457 (84.2%) chose “Yes” and 86 (15.8%) chose “No”. It is obviouhs that the majority of parents thought they should know the policy about early education.

Table 2 presents the results of item “In your search for a quality ECCE setting/center for your child, which of the following policy documents have you referred or consulted?”. 21% (n=116) of parents refer to policy documents Malaysian Education Blueprint (2012-2025)17) and National Preschool Curriculum Standards (KSPK) (n=116, 21.4%). 20% of parents would like to refer to the Education Act 1996 (Act 550) (n=110, 20.3%) and National Preschool Quality Standard (SKPK) (n=109, 20.1%).

Like other policy documents, a minority of parents refer to them. The number of respondents (parents) who refer to the policy documents was below 30%. That means more than 70% of parents do not refer to the policy documents about ECCE in Malaysia.

Table 3 shows the analysis results of the item “In your view, which of these policy documents are important for parents to know?”. 33% (n=177) of parents reported that the policy about the curriculum of “National Preschool Curriculum Standards (KSPK)” (n=177, 32.6%) is the most important. Parents also cared more about Childcare Centre Regulation 1972 (revised draft 2012) (n=172, 31.7%), the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2012-2025) (n=170, 31.3%), the Childcare Centre Act 1984 (revised 2012) (n=167, 30.8%), Education Act 1996 (Act 550) (n=145, 26.7%) as well as National Preschool Quality Standard (SKPK) (n=142, 26.2%) and Child Health Services Policy (n=140, 25.8%). This indicates that parents consider the importance of policies that are directly related to their children’s ECCE center.

For the answers to the item ‘Information about the policy documents can be disseminated to parents through’, most of the parents (N=392) stated school can disseminate policy documents for them. However, N=111 parents stated policy documents can be propagated through the channel of social medial and N=40 parents chose option for community disseminating, hospital conducting awareness program.

40% (n=249) of parents reported that policy documents can be propagated through the channel of social media. 16% (n=16) of parents chose others such as community disseminating, hospital conducting propaganda and government.

Interview: qualitative data analysis

Demographic information of the parents involved in the interview process are given in Table 4 below. A total of 22 respondents volunteered for the interview program.

To investigate in-depth information on parents’ perceptions of ECCE policy in Malaysia, the researchers conducted focus group interview with 22 parents. Three themes regarding parents’ perceptions on ECCE policy were obtained from qualitative data, and the results are presented in Table 5.

Themes are policy awareness, policy implementation, and challenges of policy implementation. Two categories are under the theme of policy awareness: lack ECCE policy awareness and knowing little ECCE policy. During the focus group interviews, when the interviewer asked the questions ‘what are some of the policies that you are familiar with?’, 15 (68%) parents stated that they were not familiar with the policies of ECCE. Moreover, when the interviewer asked that ‘how did you know about the policy and legislative documents?’ 12 parents (54%) reported they do not know the policy and legislative documents.

“Something [inaudible segment] but not I don’t know how they (policies) apply this in education.” (P1.4)

“We don’t know the about this policy. We heard about this is a strategy.” (P3.2)

“Err I don’t know about locally la because I also hardly get the opportunity to know err most of the time …” (P5.5)

(Focus group interview)

For the theme of policy implementation, two categories including good practice and expectations were obtained. 16 parents have shown satisfaction on the early child care education center registration and reported good environment in urban areas compared to rural location, moreover, they reported that centers provide healthy food while schooling and ECCE centers are more safe for the children in urban areas because of the policy implementation in ECCE. Moreover, parents expected the quality of teachers to be improved. Some parents pointed out that there were teachers screaming in a particular preschool. Parents thought teachers should be trained to be able to go beyond teaching children through books but also to understand the children who have issues such autism or dyslexia. Parents described that teachers and principals need to be sent for training. A good teacher must acquire some knowledge about psychology. If the teachers understand psychology, they can get the children out of a bad situation. It is better for children to learn how to cope with life problems from teachers. The lessons need to be related to real experiences and teachers should explore suitable teaching methods based on parents’ perceptions. At the same time, parents thought the principals and teachers need to stay relevant, they have to upgrade their facilities constantly and also their own qualifications.

“Some teachers they scream, even in kindergartens in preschools. Even the quality of the teachers should be improved.” (P5.1)

“I think that’s why teachers need to be sent out for training coz I understand now a lot of children also have issues like they get autistic and dyslexia like maybe 10% 20% children … I think teachers have to be trained to be able to go beyond teaching them through books but have to understand the child. You know teaching them how to cope with life measures, I don’t know. You know all sorts of things go beyond that because teachers are the only person who can go up from the situation so the teacher must be quick enough to notice them and to help them at this age. Do you get what I mean ahh? (P3.6)

“So you know teacher should know a bit about psychology, coz it’s very important as they don’t get to, they have to get out, and school is the place where they have to explore, and the teacher is the one who should be sharp enough that they are able to get the children out of that situation.” (P1.2)

“I think the principal and the teacher need to stay relevant, they have to upgrade their facility constantly and also their own qualification. Maybe you are teaching only using paper, but now need to use a computer and videos for teaching but now you may want to explore with other materials. Lessons need to be very relevant to today’s world as children are very clever nowadays.” (P2.2)

The theme of challenges of policy implementation combines three categories: issues, quality standard and assessment of preschool, and parental involvement. When parents talked about the issues raised by centers, they expressed some views on developing quality ECCE programs. They stressed the importance of children’s health and safety. Based on their opinions, centers should provide children with nutrition and a balanced diet. However, parents lamented that there is a poor hygienic environment, particularly in some preschools and no clear action has been taken by the welfare department.

“There’re more erm mosquito. [inaudible segment] they can’t really take care of their hygiene. Sometimes, other than no. I think I will always complain of the mosquito bringing in all that …” (P5.3)

“It also depends on the place right and who runs the place … some teachers in preschool think that the setting in their preschools is fine. The children have safeguarded regards to hygiene. However, we do not think so. It is common if anything falls on the floor. But for our children, we are so particular about. If children’s bottle falls on the ground, they (the teacher or caregiver) just pick it up and brush it and put it in the children’s month. We think it is serious not good for children.” (P4.2)

Moreover, six parents emphasized that the quality of kindergartens in rural areas was poor and some preschools did not register at all or registrations were not renewed. Five parents pointed the disparity in preschools between rich and poor areas.

“Urban schools are still ok, but I am very worried about, concerned about rural. Even in, within KL there are so many other schools like she said “dirty, unsafe … (cross talk).” (P3.2)

“But those are government schools, but not all lah, there was one in PJ that I went to, WOW! Its posh, really cool, air conditioned all over, beautiful! Compared to the other one I went to, there is a vast difference, it’s like you walk out in Singapore and then back to Johor.” (P1.6)

“But I have seen so many childcare around my house you know, those are run down, dirty, I don’t know how to help those, those are super dirty, especially the unregistered child cares so the government needs to work towards that.” (P5.3)

In addition, to the quality standard and assessment of preschool, five parents mentioned that cultural diversity remains an issue. Three parents stated that discrimination still happens in particular preschools. Furthermore, seven parents complained that nobody checks the quality of the center.

“Says she was ahh being discriminated upon because of the color. She got a very dark- quite a dark complexion and ahh all-all the other children keep teasing her and all that and all that… So my wife ask her whether you talk to the teacher, she said she doesn’t tell the teacher, afraid that ahh that the children will [inaudible segment] on this type of thing.” (P5.2)

“Actually we have the Malaysian standard which is very good already, if you go through the whole document, all the kindergartens do very good things (inaudible segment), it’s just that nobody check what should I follow and I think that is the issue.” (P3.5)

On the other hand, four parents commented that they are putting too much emphasis on academic success for children in their early years’ education. They described that they hope their children could learn more and have good preparation in kindergarten for transitioning to primary school. Some parents suggested that preschools should slowly improve their academic skills by using suitable approaches.

“I guess Malaysia parents will give more importance to academic based curriculum instead of play based because they don’t believe that children learn just through play. Now you see when they go to school they care about the skills of writing and reading. However, it needs to consider when children study in a primary school. Some parents often ask teachers why they are playing all the time. So it’s different.” (P3.1)

“What I heard even the year 1 and year 2 schools, government school is pretty much … umm academic oriented so I think we should ummm slow down specially at the kindergarten level. I mean you can have academic but probably slow the approach and not too much classroom oriented.” (P3.6)

Underlying data

figshare: data spss11.22.sav. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19848607.v1 (Abdul Rahman, 2022a)

This project contains the following file:

Focus group data is not available without the relevant government department’s permission because this study is based on a government project. Because of this, and the detailed nature of the data, it is only available on request. To access the focus group transcript data, please contact the corresponding author mohdnazri_ar@um.edu.my. Any researcher affiliated with a university must show affiliation proof. Interview data is currently in Malay language and will be translated to English on request.

Extended data

figshare: questionnaire.pdf. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19848604.v1 (Abdul Rahman, 2022b)

This project contains the following file:

figshare: excel spreadsheet SPSS Coding.xlsx. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20141057.v1 (Abdul Rahman, 2022c)

This project contains the following file:

Data are available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC-BY 4.0).