Increase in Selangor taska fees beginning January

The fee for child nurseries in Selangor will be increased between RM10 and RM50 beginning January following a hike in operational costs.

Selangor Child Nurseries Association chairman, Mahanom Basri said the last time fees for state nurseries were increased was in 2013 when the government introduced a minimal wage order to workers.

She said nursery operators were currently struggling with increases in operational costs which included hikes in the rental of premises, cost of items as well as having to comply with health and safety regulations set by government agencies.

"To comply with the regulations set, it requires costly expenditure such as for the installation of a safety staircase and closed-circuit television (CCTV) system.

"Other causes are mandatory procedures enforced by the Social Welfare Department such as certification courses for nursery teachers as well as the ratio of teachers and children.

"If we continue to use the old rate, there is a possibility that most childcare centres will be forced to close," she said in a press conference here Friday.

It is understood that at present, the fee incurred by childcare association members are between RM150 and RM650 for each child, depending on the location of the nursery and the age of the child.

Currently, there are 1,148 registered nurseries in the state.

Mahanom hoped that the rise would be well-received by parents to ensure that the state's nurseries could operate more effectively and mature into a professional institution. -- Bernama