March 31 deadline for Penang childcare operators to check legal status

 State exco member Lim Siew Khim says operators must check their registration with authorities before the deadline, after which enforcement action will follow.

As of Dec 31 last year, Penang had 1,033 childcare centres, with 225 still unregistered. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 The Penang government has given unregistered nurseries, kindergartens and daycare centres until March 31 to verify their registration status, after which enforcement action will be taken.

In a Bernama report, state social development, welfare and non-Islamic affairs committee chairman Lim Siew Khim said the deadline allows operators who may have been left out of the official list to come forward and check their status with the relevant authorities.

“After the deadline, no further appeals will be considered, so I encourage all operators to come forward and check their status within the given period,” she told a press conference at Komtar.

Lim said as of Dec 31 last year, state records showed there were 1,033 childcare centres in Penang, with 225 still unregistered.

Of the total, 213 were nurseries, including 61 that had yet to obtain registration. There were also 557 kindergartens, with 84 unregistered, and 263 daycare centres, 80 of which had not been registered.

Lim said the move is important as these centres care for children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

To encourage operators to legalise their premises, she said that the state government is offering incentives, including planning permission exemptions and a fixed RM1,000 registration fee for early applicants.

New applications after Dec 31 will receive a 50% discount on development charges for change-of-use applications and exemption from fines of about RM10,000 for previously unapproved premises.

Lim said the legalisation period and incentive programme would run from March 1 this year until Feb 28, 2027, with enforcement against unregistered centres starting the day after the deadline expires.

She also directed the Penang welfare department to increase surprise inspections and ensure all caregivers attend care and education training courses to maintain quality standards.

“I also hope that the national registration department will conduct regular monitoring to prevent incidents like the recent incident from happening again,” she said, referring to the death of a four-month-old baby at Seberang Perai Hospital’s childcare centre. - FMT