9,000 taska, tabika helpers gain from RM500 pay raise

Thankful lot: Ahmad Kamal (centre) posing for a group photo after the appreciation ceremony of the Johor Kemas staff in Kota Iskandar, Iskandar Puteri.

ISKANDAR PUTERI: The government’s decision to raise the monthly allowance of volunteer community assistants (PPMS) by RM300, which will benefit over 9,000 of these volunteers, is timely, says Community Development Department (Kemas) director-general Ahmad Kamal Idris Mohd Nawawi.

The volunteers previously received RM400 monthly back in 2011 before the amount rose to RM500 per month in 2017, he added.

“The Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, recently informed us that the PPMS monthly allowance has been increased from RM500 to RM800 effective March,” he said, adding that the move involves 9,439 PPMS nationwide.

“We’d also like to thank the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for hearing our plea and showing great care for Kemas; we hope this increase will help ease their (financial) burden.”

Ahmad Kamal said this when met by reporters after the appreciation ceremony for the Johor Kemas staff at Kota Iskandar here yesterday.

The increase from RM500 to RM800 represents a 60% increase and is the largest ever received by the PPMS, he noted.

“Although this number might be small in the city, I am sure it could help ease their expenses back in their villages.

“The majority of our volunteers are villagers from the B40 families that we hire to help the teachers at the Kemas childcare centres (taska) and kindergartens (tabika) across the country,” he said.

The government, said Ahmad Kamal, has also set aside RM140mil for food preparation at the taska and tabika.

“In addition to ensuring the cleanliness and safety of the taska and tabika, the PPMS tasks include food preparation for the children.

“We hope the government’s recognition of their importance will be able to lift their spirits, and they can provide the best service to all,” he said, adding that about 208,000 children are enrolled at tabika (aged between four and six) and 9,500 at taska (aged between two and three) every year.

PPMS Noor Liana Nerman, 37, appreciates the increase in allowance, saying that it’s something she has been looking forward to as it is the only way she could help contribute to her family’s expenses.

“It’s a big help for me and my family, especially amid the rising cost of living.

“I became a volunteer in 2019 to help my husband and cover the expenses for my three children, who are still in school,” she explained, adding that her husband earns about RM2,000 a month.

Another grateful PPMS, Haslinda Hashim, 51, said Kemas has also enabled the volunteers to attend technical and vocational education, and training (TVET) courses.

“Besides cooking, there are also classes on sewing, computer literacy, and social media marketing. It could really help us in the long run,” she said.