Speech by Dato' Seri Khoo Keat Siew -President of the Penang Buddhist Association

This graduation ceremony today marks a big step in the lives of the 95 pupils who will be entering Standard 1 next year. They will be leaving kindergarten after receiving a good foundation for their primary education. They would have acquired a sound knowledge of the 3Rs-Reading , Writing and Arithmetic which gives them a headstart at the next level of their education. The PBA Kindergarten is acutely aware that preschool education should not be a drudgery to the young children and has tailored the programmes accordingly so that learning can be fun.
The number of Kindergartens in the State, I understand is close to 400. The increase in numbers over the years has affected the enrolment of our Kindergarten. Today the intake of new pupils is about 200 compared to 800 in the Eighties and is likely to be reduced further in the coming years.
Education that begins early in the life of a child would enable the child to become a knowledgeable and creative adult. The inculcating of positive values, skills and good ethics in the learning process will shape his character and prepare him for the challenges in our modern world.
I would like to congratuate the parents for their wisdom in investing in their children's education. If not, when their children grow up they will be sidelined in our community because of their lack of proper education, skills and capabilities.
The Penang Buddhist Association has a good mix of children from the different ethnic groups, Chinese, Malays and Indians.
Kindergartens are conducive to social interaction and children exposed to the cultures and traditions of the other races grow up more tolerant and understanding of one another.
Kindergartens have so far existed without a common syllabus. This position will soon be rectified as the Education Ministry plans to develop a revised curriculum that requires all Kindergartens to follow. This move is to be lauded as it will improve the quality of preschools nation wide. The Education Ministry hopes to make preschool education available to all so that children can have equal access to education, and the opportunity to develop their skills and talents. At present only 60% of Malaysian children attend preschools before starting their primary education.
Before I close I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Headmistress, teachers, staff and parents for another successful year.