Be flexible with condition that nurseries not be located above second floor - Rohani

The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry proposes that the local authorities be more flexible with the prerequisite that nurseries are not located above the second floor.

Its minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said this flexibility would allow more nurseries to be opened and attract more women to join the work force.

She said finding a nursery was a priority for women, especially those with small children, and private companies interested in setting up a nursery in their building found the requirement a deterrent.

Local authorities and the Fire and Rescue Department have set that nurseries can only be located on the lower level or first floor of a building as a safety precaution.

"This requirement is not practical as many commercial buildings and offices use their lower level and first floor for parking, which may extend to the fifth floor and then only followed by office space.

"We hope some flexibility can be given so that interested private companies (interested in setting up a nursery) are no longer tied to this requirement," she told a news conference after opening the Asian Management Conference and Exhibition (AMCE) 2014 organised by the Malaysian Institute of Management, here, Monday.

Rohani said if a nursery was located above the second floor, the children's safety was still a priority and the ministry would not compromsie on safety as most of the children in nurseries were aged four and below.