SHAH ALAM, Sept 26 — The state government should build on existing social programmes and scale up those that prove effective instead of creating new, overlapping initiatives, said the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Malaysia social policy specialist Lee Min Hui.
“We recommend (continue) using existing policies and programmes. Use them, but scale them up,” she said during the 2027 Selangor Budget engagement session at the Selangor International Trade Centre yesterday.
Among others, she proposed expanding programmes such as MamaKerja and the Selangor Kindergarten Assistance Scheme, with additional support for nutrition, parenting, and childcare.
Simultaneously, priority should be given to children aged zero to four and families with higher care needs, including those with disabled children and single-parent households.
Lee added that early childhood development should be another key area for targeted intervention, noting that less than five per cent of children aged up to four in Selangor are enrolled in licensed childcare centres.
“This is the most vulnerable stage for parents, but the costs at this stage are also very high,” she said, highlighting that families and children could face a greater risk of falling into poverty if not supported.
On family-friendly workplaces, Lee proposed implementing pilot policy packages in larger firms before expanding them based on the findings.
For smaller businesses, shared childcare centres where businesses in the same area pool resources can be considered.
“(The state) has to come up with the model, show them (businesses) how it can be done, discuss resource sharing, and set out each party’s specific contribution,” she said.
Lee also called for more detailed district-level and socioeconomic data on childcare, including time-use surveys to measure how much time caregivers spend on care work.
Evidence from pilot projects and data collection can help Selangor identify which interventions should be expanded and ensure spending is targeted at programmes addressing clear gaps.
