8 unregistered nurseries were subject to action, 17 were compounded

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of eight unregistered Child Care Centers (TASKA) were subject to Lak action, while another 17 were in the compound and two cases were charged in court between 2020 and March 2024.

Berita Harian reports, the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, said her ministry through the Department of Social Welfare Malaysia (JKM) takes seriously issues involving cases of neglect, neglect and child abuse that occur at TASKA.

“Aware of the importance and regulatory requirements, the ministry always emphasizes the importance of a TASKA to be registered and followed up with enforcement elements as provided under the Child Care Park Act 1984 (Act 308),” he said.

He answered a question from Datuk Idris Ahmad (PN-Bagan Serai) during an oral question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Commenting further, Nancy said, registered TASKA can not only ensure the quality and basic standards of services provided by premises and caregivers, but also can reduce the risk of negligence and abuse against children at TASKA.

“For these TASKAs that are not registered, we use a variety of approaches, including warning notices and enforcement actions in line with the provisions of Act 308, namely lak, compound and prosecution,” he said.

He said, there are also some TASKAs that actually meet the minimum TASKA operating standards as set by JKM, but are not registered due to various factors.

“Among them is the difficulty in complying with the conditions and procedures set by the local authority (PBT) which differ from one PBT area to another.

“For TASKA who are faced with this kind of situation, we take the approach of helping them by providing advisory services and implementing initiatives to facilitate their process to meet the requirements set by the technical agencies, namely the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), the Health Department and PBT,” he said.

He said this was done through the activation of the One Stop Center (OSC) at the state and district levels.

“Between September 2023 and last May 31, a total of 189 TASKAs were successfully assisted to pass registration. Among other initiatives to encourage TASKA registration is to implement advocacy programs across the country,” he said.

Nancy admits the ability to search every lane in every corner of the country to find unregistered NURSERY is very limited.

“Therefore, I call for the cooperation of all parties, including parents and the public, to report the existence of unregistered TASKA.

“The need for registration is not to generate national income through license fees or the like, but to ensure that TASKA operates according to standards and best practices to reduce the risk of unwanted incidents and the comfort and safety of our children,”