PUTRAJAYA: A whopping RM13.58 million in contributions under the Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Guru-Guru (KWSG) have remained unclaimed since 2007.
Yayasan Guru Tun Hussein Onn (YGTHO) chief executive officer Zahirudin Mohammad Hanif said, based on their records, the amount belongs 1,910 teachers under the scheme.
"These teachers served as government school teachers between the period of 1950 and 2004," he told a press conference today.
The KWSG was established in 1962 to safeguard the interests and to benefit teachers serving in government schools under the Unified Teaching Service (UTS) Scheme.
However in 1972 when the 'Opsyen Gaji Aziz' was introduced, contributors opted to leave the KWSG and joined the new scheme for teachers under the UTS.
At the time, there were already 63,641 members. Contributions as well as interest stood at RM100 million, Zahirudin said.
"This amount could not be withdrawn by contributors until they retired.
"Only 2,000 out of 63,641 members continued contributing to the scheme.
"As time passed, some remembered to claim their contributions while others did not come forward to withdraw their money," he said.
Zahirudin said a large sum was paid out after KWSG managed to track down a number of contributors through newspaper advertisements, circulation notices and information passed by word of mouth.
Efforts to reach out to the 1,910 members based on the details given to KWSG, however, proved fruitless, as there were change of addresses and contact details. Some had even migrated abroad, Zahirudin said.
On Dec 31, 2015, KWSG was abolished and was replaced with the YGTHO. The unclaimed funds were surrendered to the Unclaimed Money Registrar under the Finance Ministry.
Zahirudin urged next-of-kin of teachers who have passed away to collect the funds.
"They only have to bring along letters or document to prove they are related to the deceased. This document must be endorsed by a Grade A civil servant or a village head.
"We will arrange for everything else, including how to go about claiming the money from the Unclaimed Money Registrar.
"We hope to return this money to their rightful owners," he added.
He said the highest payout stood at RM68,000 per contributor.
Zahirudin also stressed that the foundation will not appoint any agents for claiming purposes. The claims, he said, must be done either by the retired teachers themselves or their family members.