ALL kindergarten and daycare centres in Pasir Gudang will be required to instal closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at their premises by next year.
Pasir Gudang mayor Datuk Asman Shah Abd Rahman (pic)said the city council was currently drafting paperwork on the policy before tabling it in December.
“This is in line with Women, Family and Community Development Ministry’s call to make it mandatory for renewing childcare centre licences.
“The idea also came after the child abuse case that occurred in Bandar Layangkasa in August, as we needed to take proactive action in dealing with such cases.
“Once we complete all the necessary paperwork, we will call all kindergarten and daycare centre operators, including relevant stakeholders, for a town hall session in December and January,” he said.
Asman Shah added that Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG) was currently checking on illegal kindergarten and daycare centres to ensure operators complied with the regulations.
“We will also record their data, including number of caretakers and children.
“The council will issue a temporary licence to operate while they instal a CCTV system on the premises.
“All these information will be stored in our database for us to take immediate action,” he said.
Asman Shah said MBPG would also instal 340 CCTV poles in public areas all over Pasir Gudang starting December.
“We expect all poles to be placed and fully operational by June next year,” he said.
On Aug 13, Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri was reported saying that the ministry was considering making the installation of CCTV a mandatory condition for renewing childcare centre licences.
The measure needed to be taken, she said, to curb child abuse cases at these premises, even though the government had previously stipulated that CCTV was required under the Child Care Centre Act 1984 and the Child Care Centre Regulations 2012.
On Aug 12, police arrested two women over a child abuse case involving a seven-year-old boy in Bandar Layangkasa.
