KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh today urged Women, Family and Community Development Minister (KPWKM) Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun to solve the dual-licensing issue for nurseries and pre-schools. 

In a statement today, the former deputy women, family and community development minister said that discussions on the matter began during her time, after the then Pakatan Harapan government identified the problem affecting nursery and pre-school operators as well as parents.

Yeoh said many meetings have been held with stakeholders to draft a solution mechanism for the issue, and that she had also raised the matter in Parliament.

However, she said Rina has yet to address the matter, "as if there is no will to solve the problem.”

"KPWKM needs to take the initiative to hasten the involvement process with the Ministry of Education (KPM) and other stakeholders, to look into the needs and importance of allowing dual-licensing for operators who own both nurseries and pre-schools in one premise. 

"The failure to address this problem has given rise to so much confusion among parents, especially during the prior movement control order (MCO) period, when the government only allowed operations of nurseries which care for children aged four-years-old and below but banned pre-schools which care for children aged between four to six-years-old from operating.

"This situation is troublesome for parents who have children attending both the nurseries and pre-schools, as they do not have other places to send their children aged between four-years-old and six-years-old, although they can still have access to nurseries. In fact, pre-school operators are forced to bear great financial brunt owing to this confusing order,” she added.

Yeoh called on Rina and education minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Jidin to look into the issue to urgently look into the dual-licensing programme to prevent unnecessary bureaucracy and to create a systematic monitoring mechanism for the safety and wellbeing of the children.