Community Development Department (Kemas) director-general Ahmad Kamal Idris Mohd Nawawi
ISKANDAR PUTERI: The government's decision to increase the monthly allowance for volunteer community assistants at Community Development Department (Kemas) kindergartens will help ease the burden of helpers.
Kemas director-general Ahmad Kamal Idris Mohd Nawawi said that volunteers previously received only RM500 per month, an amount unchanged for the past seven years.
"The last time the government increased their allowance was from RM400 to RM500 back in 2017. However, in Budget 2023, the government increased their allowance from RM500 to RM800, a 60% increase.
"Although this number might be small in the city, it will be able to help ease their burden and expenses in villages," he said when met by reporters after the appreciation ceremony of the Johor Kemas staff at Kota Iskandar here on Wednesday (March 1).
Ahmad Kamad also said that the government had set aside RM140mil for food preparation at childcare centres and kindergartens across the country.
"Preparing food for the children and helping teachers – besides ensuring cleanliness and safety – are also part of volunteers' tasks.
"We hope the government's recognition will be able to lift their spirits so they can provide the best service to all," he said, adding that about 208,000 children (from aged four to six) are enrolled at kindergartens and 9,500 at childcare centres (aged two and three) every year.
On Feb 25, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the Kemas volunteers' allowance would be raised from RM500 to RM800 per month beginning in March, which would benefit 9,439 of them across the country.
This would come from an allocation of RM30mil through Budget 2023, which was tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Feb 24.
