AG report: Permata programme wracked with mismanagement, poor enrollment

PETALING JAYA: The management of the Permata programme for early childhood development has not reached the optimum level of efficiency as many targets have been left unmet.

According to the 2018 Auditor-General’s Report Series 3, there were management weaknesses in the selection of its participants, payment of monthly fees, teachers, infrastructure, learning environment and monitoring.

The programme - a brainchild of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor - offers early education and childcare for children under four years old, particularly from families with a household income below RM4,000.

The report found that the management of monthly contribution payments at certain Pusat Anak Permata Negara (PAPNs) were irregular as records were not maintained, resulting in the collection and expenses to be non-verifiable.

“The termination of monthly contribution payments and approvals for deduction were also made by unauthorised officers, ” it said, adding that the agreements for reduction were made verbally between parents and the officers in charge.

“...the verbal agreement showed unkempt management, ” said the report released on Tuesday (July 14).

It added that there were PAPNs that collected less than the amount of monthly contribution payments that should have been collected after parents appealed for reductions in monthly payments.

Only families with a household income of over RM4,000 are charged monthly for the Permata programme.

“Of the five PAPNs visited, the amount that should be collected is RM48,470 while the amount received is RM41,320 where there is a difference of RM7,150, ” it said.

As many as 29 out of the 89 PAPNs nationwide also failed to reach the enrollment quota set for 2018, while in 2016 and 2017,45 and 39 PAPNs respectively did not meet the quota.

Reasons given by the Education Ministry for the lack of enrollment included parents’ inability to commit, low demand in certain rural locations as well as lack of awareness and promotion of the programme.

The enrollment quota is not less than 25 children and not more 60 at one time, except for PAPN Langkawi, which can take up to 100 children.

Out-of-order facilities were also not fixed as only RM111,965 was allocated for the maintenance of PAPNs from 2016 until 2018, added the report.

Permata was allocated RM229.17mil for 2016 until 2018 for operating expenses and development allocation.

The report also found that in three years, 28 out of the 89 PAPNs were never physically monitored by the officer in charge.

Keywords: Permata, Mismanagement, Poor enrollment, Auditor-General's report