KUCHING: Sarawak continues to strengthen early childhood intervention efforts through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between SeDidik Sdn Bhd and ToyBox Creations and Technologies Sdn Bhd (ToyEight Holdings Inc.) to implement developmental screening and intervention using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, stated that the initiative aims to expand access to early assessment for preschool children, particularly those who have not had the opportunity to receive early intervention services at the One Stop Early Intervention Centre (OSEIC).

She explained that while OSEIC can only accommodate about 100 children, the waiting list has reached 425 people, however, digital screening and intervention allow children in need of assistance to be assessed through fun learning activities.

“The children do not feel as though they are being assessed because it is carried out through play. It is the same with the intervention,as mentioned earlier, they enjoy it so much that when the session ends, they want to continue,” she explained.

“This is an excellent screening method because the intervention is also tailored to the children's needs according to their age,

“Learning is conducted in a fun way within an environment where they don't feel threatened or judged, but rather as if it's a play session,” she said.

She said this during a press conference following the MoA Signing Ceremony between the two parties, which took place at OSEIC, Metrocity Matang, on Tuesday.

Dato Sri Fatimah added that this new approach enables trained teachers to conduct screenings and interventions interactively through play-based learning methods, subsequently making the process more enjoyable and less stressful for the children.

She added that an allocation of RM1.9 million has been channeled to train teachers so that the programme can be implemented sustainably, including producing master trainers capable of training other educators.

According to her, this programme will benefit 1,800 SeDidik children across the state and has the potential to be expanded to other early education providers, such as KEMAS, Perpaduan, and the Ministry of Education to provide children in other preschools the opportunity to receive proper assessment and intervention.

“We see this as a very good opportunity for our children, and it is hoped that with convincing results like the previous pilot project, we can expand it to other early childhood education providers so that all Sarawakian children,especially those experiencing developmental delays and various disabilities have the opportunity to be assessed and receive intervention,” she said.

Also present were Deputy Minister for Women and Early Childhood Development, Datuk Rosey Yunus, Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, Noriyuki Shikata, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development (KPWKK), Nur Alina Abdullah @ Colliner Gohe, Director of the Sarawak Regional Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia, Dato Fenny Nuli, General Manager of SeDidik Sdn Bhd, Ayub Dahari, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Toy Eight, Shun Matsuzaka, and General Manager of OSEIC Sarawak, Dato Dr Saadiah Abdul Samat. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Ahmad Daniel Faiz
Translator: Sarah Nicole Hii
Photo by: Muhd Nasseem