KUCHING: Registered Taska (daycare centre) operators must adhere to guidelines in the Taska Services Advocacy Programme to ensure the safety of children is always prioritised, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (pix).
She said that among the guidelines is that parents or guardians must notify the Taska of their child’s absence or delay within 30 minutes of the scheduled drop-off time.
“Parents and Taska operators need to have good communication to ensure that information about the whereabouts of children can be conveyed.
“Notifying parents about the whereabouts of children can be done either by phone call or text message, aiming to prevent parents from forgetting and always being aware of the whereabouts of their children,“ she said when speaking at the Taska Fee Subsidy Presentation Ceremony and Child Safety in Vehicles Campaign here, today.
Nancy also said that each child in the Taska must have a daily log that must be updated by the daycare centre every day.
“(Taska) Operators should confirm by making notes in the daily log and continuous monitoring at least once a week of the taska under their supervision,“ she said, adding that the effort is to prevent incidents of parents leaving children in cars, resulting in fatalities.
She said based on Royal Malaysia Police statistics from 2020 to February 2024, a total of 12 cases of death of children left in vehicles have been recorded.
“Of that total, three cases occurred in 2020, two in 2021, fives in 2023, and two this year,“ she said. –Bernama