Do More for Children's Safety, Parents Told
Posted on: Tuesday, 12 February 2008, 06:00 CST
By Darshini Kandasamy
THE recent kidnapping scare involving a missing five-year-old kindergarten pupil, who was later found to have gone to her friend's house without permission, has continued to raise the ire of various parties.
The Malaysian Association of Kindergartens has hit out at the kindergarten concerned for allowing the pupil to leave with someone else, saying it was an irresponsible act.
"This was extreme carelessness on behalf of the kindergarten. Safety of the children must be a priority," association chairman Jaya Perera told The Malay Mail yesterday.
"In our training, we tell teachers to be aware of each child's parents and to keep a record of who will come to pick a pupil up at the end of each day," she said.
Jaya said at the beginning of the school year, parents should register their car registration numbers or ensure that the kindergarten knows if the child is to go home by alternate means, such as by bus.
She said the kindergarten must ensure that a teacher is present until the last pupil leaves, and no child should be allowed to leave with anyone other than the designated person.
"The national pre-school curriculum does include a component on safety. However, it touches on general safety such as safety in school and at home.
"We have nothing in black and white on security procedures for pupils after school," Jaya said.
She, however, stressed that schools cannot use the excuse that a child is not their responsibility once school is over.
Garden International School deputy head David Gorman said his school views the security of its young pupils with greatest importance, with security guards on duty 24 hours and cameras to monitor all corridors and exit points.
"Here, the school is informed of how each pupil goes home and who is supposed to pick them up, be it a parent, driver, bus, maid or if the pupils are permitted to walk home," Gorman said.
He explained that each pupil has a communication diary, which they take home daily so as to enable constant communication between parents and teachers.
"If a child wishes to go home with a friend, the teacher can look up the child's diary to see if his or her parent had left a note permitting the pupil to do so."
He said the primary school, with pupils from three to 11 years, is responsible for the children left in their care and as such, the school views safety regulations as serious, especially when dealing with young children.
"With younger children, the rules must be policed more strictly."
However, SK Taman Klang Utama Parent-Teacher Association chairman Hadzman Abdul Rahman said the public should not be too quick to place the blame squarely on the school.
"You cannot hold the school responsible if something was to happen to a child outside of the school compound and outside school hours."
He stressed that parents too should play a part and not take their children's safety for granted.
He said many parents do not take any interest in school affairs, often failing to turn up for PTA meetings.
"From 150 parents, sometimes only 20 or 30 would turn up. They take no interest in the school nor do they provide suggestions for their children's safety. Later when something happens, they blame the school or the PTA."
Hadzman, however, said if the five-year-old child was allowed to leave with someone else while waiting at school, then the kindergarten in question probably had some responsibility over the affair.
(c) 2008 Malay Mail. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Malay Mail
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