Budget 2027 plan: Fadhlina pushes Kasih Madani training expansion to protect children nationwide

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek will propose including the Kasih Madani home childminder training programme in the 2027 Budget to enhance childcare and safety support for working mothers. This initiative aims to improve the quality of childcare and bolster the home childcare ecosystem. Fadhlina, a mother of six, shared that she relied on home childminders to care for her children while working as a lawyer.

She recounted a distressing incident where her second child was physically abused by a childminder, which led her to understand the crucial role childminders play in society. The experiences motivated Fadhlina to push for the expansion of the Kasih Madani programme. The personal tragedy of losing her fourth child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) highlighted the challenges of balancing career and family responsibilities.

Fadhlina stressed that child protection must extend beyond childminding to formal schooling through a comprehensive policy framework. The Ministry of Education aims to continue the Child Protection Policy in schools, emphasizing shared responsibility in child protection from home childcare to schools. Since its launch in August last year, more than 1,000 childminders from four states have benefited from the Kasih Madani initiative, which is managed by the Merdeka Center with support from the Ministry of Finance and Yayasan Sime Darby.

The programme aims to elevate the profession of childminders, recognize their contribution to working women's participation in the workforce, and strengthen Malaysia's childcare ecosystem.