Liow (second left) and teachers at the new ‘Mama Friendly’ lactation room at Sekolah Seni Malaysia in Bandar Seri Alam, Masai.
TO ENCOURAGE more women to remain in the workforce, schools are setting up dedicated rooms to provide breastfeeding teachers with more privacy.
Johor Jaya assemblyman Liow Cai Tung said RM60,000 from the Prime Minister’s special allocation was channelled to six schools in her constituency to set up “Mama Friendly” rooms last year.
“Among the schools involved in the project were SMK Johor Jaya 1, SMK Johor Jaya 2, SMK Taman Molek, SK Seri Alam 2 and Sekolah Seni Malaysia.
“Each school received RM10,000 to set up ‘Mama Friendly’ rooms to provide privacy and facilities for breastfeeding teachers.
“This will definitely encourage them to return and remain in the workforce after giving birth, while also supporting the Health Ministry’s recommendation for mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively for the first six months after birth,” she said.
She added that the concept was a state initiative introduced in 2018 when she was the Johor tourism, women, family and community development committee chairman.
The aim of the programme was to provide breastfeeding civil servants with a designated space to express breast milk while at work.
In the following year, then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail officially launched the initiative during her visit to the state.
“Based on our research, many working women have been expressing milk in the pantry, toilet and surau at their workplaces or even in their car.
“Some also said they had no choice but to stop breastfeeding altogether due to the challenges (of finding suitable places to express milk).
“During one of my visits to a school recently, some teachers said they had to express breast milk in the filing room, gym, surau, pantry, toilet or even at their desks due to the lack of a proper lactation room,” she said.
Liow added that each lactation room should have a clean environment, a sitting area and a fridge to store the expressed breast milk.
She said Sekolah Seni Malaysia was the latest school to set up its lactation room.
“Sekolah Seni Malaysia has five branches throughout the country and one of them is located in Bandar Seri Alam, Masai.
“The school currently has 318 students and 72 teachers, of whom four are currently pregnant and are looking forward to utilising the ‘Mama Friendly’ room after they give birth.
“The room will also benefit other female teachers in the future,” she said, adding that this was a way of taking care of the teachers’ welfare.Liow hoped to raise awareness about providing lactation rooms for working women, in conjunction with the World Breastfeeding Week in August.
