Kemas kindergarten transit program to be expanded nationwide — Ismail
BERA: The Community Development Department (Kemas) kindergarten transit programme will be expanded to the town and suburban areas nationwide soon.
Rural and Regional Development (KKLW) Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, to date, 27 Kemas kindergartens had been picked as pioneer projects for the programme starting last January, including in Putrajaya, Gombak, Tangkak, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
He said the programme should be expanded as a move by the government help lighten the financial burden of working parents in having to send their children to babysitters because the transit kindergartens operated until 5.30 pm.
“Priority is given to town and sub-urban areas because many parents in the areas are employed and we are aware that the costs for having children looked after or hiring maids is not cheap.
“There are occasions where mothers have to quit their jobs because a large chunk of their salaries go towards paying for babysitters… so the presence of the transit kindergartens gives them a choice to continue working without worrying about childcare,” he said.
Ismail Sabri said this to reporters after officiating at the Kemas Kindergarten/Nursery Parenting Skills Workshop at the Bera Rakan Muda Complex yesterday, here, which was also attended by Kemas director general Datuk Amiruddin Ariffin.
Ismail Sabri said a Kemas transit kindergarten was scheduled to be launched at the end of March in Kuantan, Pahang.
“Teachers at the transit kindergartens are new teachers because the learning module is not the same as the modules in the classroom. The Kemas transit kindergarten module is decided by the KInder garten Activity Committee.
“The module will also depend on requests from parents whether martial arts, religious classes , fardu ain or third language classes,” he said.
Ismail Sabri also said the ministry added that KKLW would empower the culture of cleanliness awareness at all 11,119 Kemas kindergartens involving more than 220,000 pupils so that cleanliness became part of their lives.