KUCHING: A total of 110 children from 12 SeDidik kindergartens in the Samarahan Zone were celebrated as young graduates during the SeDidik Sarawak Samarahan Zone Convocation Ceremony held at the Pertubuhan Peladang Negeri Sarawak Hall here Monday (Dec 15).
Muara Tuang assemblyman Datuk Idris Buang said early childhood education is a vital foundation in shaping individuals who are not only knowledgeable, but also possess strong moral values and a sense of responsibility towards society.
“Every success in life begins with small steps, and those small steps that start at SeDidik are extremely valuable and must be nurtured,” he said when officiating at the ceremony.
He stressed that children should be given opportunities to achieve success not only in their schooling years, but also throughout their lives.
Idris said SeDidik’s role goes beyond basic learning such as reading, writing and arithmetic, as it also instils the ability to distinguish between good and bad, which is essential for character building from an early age.
“We must not take lightly the noble efforts and initiatives of SeDidik educators, as well as the strong support from parents,” he said.
He expressed confidence that with continuous guidance from teachers and close cooperation with parents, the children have the potential to achieve outstanding success in the future, including becoming leaders at the state and national levels.
Idris also congratulated all parents and educators for their unwavering commitment in nurturing the children’s potential, describing them as future assets who will contribute to Sarawak’s development.
At the same time, he conveyed his appreciation to the Sarawak government for its continued support in ensuring that no child is left behind in accessing early childhood education.
Meanwhile, SeDidik Sarawak general manager Ayub Dahari said SeDidik has, for the past three decades, remained a trusted provider of early childhood education, committed to ensuring equal access for all children regardless of religion, race, location or family background.
He said SeDidik also provides educational access for children with special needs through inclusive education, allowing children of different abilities to learn together in a supportive environment.
“To strengthen inclusive education, SeDidik educators are given exposure through specialised training, including Early Childhood Inclusive Education courses, Malaysian Sign Language (BIM), as well as Teaching Young Minds with Autism and ADHD,” he said.
Ayub added that early education at SeDidik is not merely preparation for formal schooling, but forms the foundation for quality human capital development through fun, play-based learning covering cognitive, emotional, social and physical aspects.
He said SeDidik places strong emphasis on character and manners as the core of education, in line with the principle that adab comes before knowledge, while also instilling positive values through programmes such as Young Leader, Young Saver, Bersih Awal Bersih Akhir (BABA) and Kindergardening.
On a related note, Ayub reminded parents of the need to monitor children’s exposure to the digital world, particularly social media and online games, which could have negative effects if not properly controlled, especially among younger generations including Generation Alpha.
He noted that some parties have likened excessive social media use to “behavioural cocaine” due to its addictive nature, adding that countries such as Australia have introduced laws prohibiting children aged 16 and below from having social media accounts, with Malaysia also planning similar measures.
