In recent years the issue of children 's rights has been the topic of much discussion and debate. The United Nations General Assembly, in recognizing that children are individuals with the rights to survival, development, protection and participation, adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989. Article 2 of the UNCRC clearly stresses the need to "respect and ensure the rights (of) each child without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child 's race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status." The existence of equal opportunity in the nursery setting ensures that the child is allowed the freedom to develop emotionally, physically and spiritually without any discrimination.
Malaysia 's commitment to the development of children in the areas of survival, protection and development existed long before Malaysia became a signatory to the UNCRC in 1995. Through the National Action Plan for Children (1991-2000) steps were taken to improve the quality of care for children at childcare centres and kindergartens nationwide.
Bibliography: Encarta World English Dictionary, http://www.encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/equal%20opportunity.html Haq, F., (2000), From Divided Responsibility to Shared Responsibility: Inclusion In Malaysia, http://www.isec2000.org.uk/abstracts/papers_h/haq_1.htm Malaysia 2006 Annual Budget, http://www.mgcc.com.my/mgcc/main.nsf/ Mokshein, S (2004), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Malaysia: An Overview, http://www.ias.unu.edu/binaries2/Malaysia_EducationReport_Aug2004.doc SUHAKAM Roundtable Discussion: The Indigenous Community 's Right to Education (2005), http://www.suhakam.org.my/en/document_resource/details.asp?id United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/pdf/crc.pdf