Lawmakers call on structural changes for daycares, while IAS reviews the rules

During the recent Legislative Assembly (AL) plenary, at least two lawmakers, including Lo Choi In and José Pereira Coutinho, have called for the government to review and amend regulations governing nursery facilities in Macau.

These calls, expressed through oral inquiries before the agenda of the last plenary session, come in the wake of the sudden death of a four-month-old child at the Fong Chong Nursery in Taipa.

Lawmaker Lo highlighted concerns that the child-to-caretaker ratio in Macau’s childcare facilities is much higher than the global average and exceeds that of neighboring regions, resulting in inadequate care and attention to the children.

Lo noted that the regulations established by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) lack specific and provide minimal guidance on the number and qualification of the caretakers for nurseries. A consequence of this is that nurseries may employ unqualified and insufficient staff in their daily operations.

In line with Lo’s concerns, lawmaker Coutinho noted that lack of staff qualifications and criticized the governing regulations and laws that establish the criteria for hiring staff in nurseries and daycare centers. According to Coutinho, the existing legal framework is “clearly outdated and needs to be reviewed with the utmost urgency.”

The lawmaker noted that review and overhaul of the existing regulations, which date back to 1999, are essential “to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.”

Coutinho also urged the government to mandate the installation of surveillance cameras in such facilities to increase supervision and prompt detection of abnormal behavior.

The IAS issued a response in a statement yesterday attesting that it has met with officials from the Office for Personal Data Protection (GPDP) to discuss installing video surveillance systems following requests from both parents and institutions.

The IAS is also said to be reviewing the regulations and has, in the interim, called on all institutions to reinforce supervision.

Regarding the announced closure of the Fong Chong Nursery in Taipa, the IAS said that will provide support to parents and to transfer their children to other facilities.

Meanwhile, Coutinho, who had previously announced the circulation of a petition within the community, revealed yesterday that he would deliver a letter endorsed by approximately 8,000 petitioners to the government today. The petition calls urgently for video surveillance systems in all daycare centers.