KUCHING: The state government is emphasising childcare centres at workplaces and Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah hopes that there will be 34 registered childcare centres at workplaces by the end of this year.
She said that 10 were already in place, 14 pending registration, four under the federal government’s RM520,000 allocation last year would start operating soon, and there were another six applications under the Sarawak government’s RM1 million allocation for childcare centres at workplaces.
“Under the state government’s RM1 million allocation, we will work on state agencies,” she said during a press conference following her visit to SeDidik Perdana UTC at Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) Kuching here, yesterday.
“The six state agencies that have applied are Public Works Department (JKR) Samarahan and JKR Mukah, Land and Survey Department headquarters, Sibu Resident’s office, Kapit Resident’s office, Mukah Resident’s office and Masja (Baitulmakmur Building),” said Fatimah.
She pointed out that no funding was received from the federal government this year for the purpose.
She said there was a need for after school services, especially in situations where working parents had no extended family members available as a support system or helpers at home to mind their children after school.
According to her, after school services would not necessarily be extended to all taskas and tadikas — it will be based on demand, viability, and case-by-case reviews.
“In cities such as Kuching, space is a constraint, especially if it is in a building meant to be an office. Expansion is difficult,” she said.
Fatimah added that if after school services were planned for during the construction stage, it would be easier to accommodate.
Meanwhile, she urged taskas and tadikas which had received RM5,000 state government grants to provide spending reports so that the state government could further improve and monitor the usage of funds as to whether they followed the set guidelines.
