KUCHING: It is necessary for nurseries and kindergartens registered in Sarawak to provide after-school care service if there is a request from parents.
State Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the service would help busy working parents who were unable to employ a caregiver or nanny.
“We have received feedbacks from working parents regarding this issue.
“Although we need to conduct further study before making this compulsory, we encourage operators (nurseries and kindergartens) to provide after-school care service.
“Otherwise, working parents will have to deal with problems on who would take care of their children when they are busy at work,” Fatimah said after visiting the TASKA Selidik Perdana at UTC building here.
Fatimah also said state government received overwhelming response on the idea of setting up nurseries at workplace.
The idea, she said, also played an important role in the form of support system for young parents in the modern era.
"They can focus on work without worrying about their children. Hence, the state government allocated RM420,000 last year to set up nurseries at work place statewide.
“The allocation (to set up nurseries at work place) has been increased to RM1 million this year," she said.
To date, there were 10 nurseries set up at office buildings and premises around the state. Another 14 nurseries were in the process of registration while four more would be built with financial assistance from the state government.