BUTTERWORTH, Sept 5 — Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek will propose including the Kasih Madani home childminder training programme in Budget 2027 to provide greater childcare and safety support for working mothers.
Fadhlina, who is also the Nibong Tebal MP, said expanding the initiative would allow more childminders to receive formal training, improve childcare quality, and strengthen the home childcare ecosystem.
She said the cause was close to her heart as a mother of six who faced immense challenges securing reliable childcare while working as a lawyer.
Sharing her personal experience, Fadhlina revealed that three of her children were cared for by home childminders, and her second child was subjected to physical abuse by a childminder.
“My second child was abused by a childminder who caned the child’s legs. At the time, I felt overwhelming guilt because as a working mother and lawyer with a demanding schedule, I had no choice but to rely on a childminder,” she said.
“That experience made me realise that childminders must possess both commitment and a sense of responsibility to society,” she said after officiating the Gala Pesona Kasih Madani at the PICCA@Arena Butterworth Convention Centre here today.
Also present were Merdeka Center programme director Ibrahim Suffian and Yayasan Sime Darby chief executive officer Dr Yatela Zainal Abidin.
Elaborating, Fadhlina shared another personal tragedy, namely the loss of her fourth child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which left her torn between pursuing her career and staying home to care for her children.
However, she said strong support from her extended family, including her siblings, helped ensure her children received proper care while she worked.
She stressed that child protection must not end at the childminding stage, but should extend seamlessly into formal schooling through a comprehensive policy framework.
“That is why at the Ministry of Education level, we are continuing with the Child Protection Policy in schools. Everyone shares a responsibility for child protection, from home childcare all the way to school,” she said.
Fadhlina added that granting formal recognition to childminders through Kasih Madani training was a vital step in elevating the dignity of the profession.
She said certified childminders should take pride in their work, as their role directly enabled working women to remain in the workforce and contribute to national development.
More than 1,000 childminders across four states, namely Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Kedah, and Penang, have benefited from the Kasih Madani initiative since its launch in August last year.
Managed by the Merdeka Center with support from the Ministry of Finance through Yayasan Sime Darby, Kasih Madani aligns with the Madani Government’s vision to strengthen Malaysia’s childcare ecosystem through the empowerment of home and community childminders.
The initiative equips childminders with essential skills and knowledge through courses such as the Madani Childcare Pilot Course (Karisma), the Madani Childcare Seminar (Semai), professionalisation workshops, and community outreach programmes. — Bernama
