Sarawak to launch ‘Centre of Excellence for Young People’ by 2025

KUCHING (Nov 7): The Sarawak Ministry of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development will set up the ‘Centre of Excellence for Young People’ aged 18 and under by 2025.

Its Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said that this centre of excellence aims to provide a platform for nurturing children’s talents to their fullest potential.

“Our educational philosophy focuses on developing children’s talents to the optimum level.

“To realise this vision, we are focusing on creating a centre of excellence for youth because we worry that the talents honed in preschool might not continue to grow.

“SeDidik already has a centre, but we want to scale it up, rebrand it slightly, and make it more inclusive – not just limited to one preschool but open to all young talent.

“We will begin on a small scale starting in 2025. We will identify specific talents that we want to nurture first, as there are many types,” she said.

Fatimah was speaking to reporters when met after attending the Sarawak Preschool Kids Got Talent (SPKGT) 7th Edition here today.

Speaking about SPKGT, she explained that the event, organised annually by her ministry since 2018, aims to uncover the talents and potential of children under six.

The programme offers opportunities for young children to showcase their abilities and compete at higher levels.

This year, SPKGT expanded to include both online and on-site competitions across four divisions: Miri, Bintulu, Sibu and Kuching.

Fatimah said that the Sarawak government is committed to ensuring quality early childhood development in line with its aspirations to achieve developed state status by 2030.

To reach this goal, quality human capital is essential, she added.

A total of 1,681 children participated in SPKGT 2024, competing in solo singing, storytelling, group dance, coloring contests, and a special category for children with disabilities.

Winners in each category were invited to perform at the event, followed by a prize-giving ceremony.

Also present were Fatimah’s deputy Datuk Rosey Yunus and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Datu Felicia Tan.