KUALA LUMPUR: A call from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to employers to provide nurseries at workplaces could help bring positive effects to justify its implementation.
Several women leaders felt that the facility would entice young educated mothers to return to work and address parents’ concern on their children’s safety while at work.
Senator Datuk Noriah Mahat said the setting up of nurseries at workplaces would be a win-win for employers and employees as employers would not lose qualified women who do not leave their jobs as their children were in good hands.
“With their children in the vicinity, women will have more peace of mind in building their career,” she said when contacted.
According to reports, women makes up 47.9 per cent of the workforce in the country although female students accounted for 65 per cent of the enrolment in public institutions of higher learning.
Academic Prof Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam said if employers were to implement the proposal, women should not take advantage of the situation to attend to their children.
“Employers should monitor parents who tend to go missing during office hours to attend to their children,” she added.
She said if the proposal were to be implemented, employers should employ locals as childminders and provide them with adequate training.
Wanita MCA chairman Datuk Yu Chok Tow said it would be a great loss to the country if more women had to quit jobs to raise their children.
She said the proposal should be implemented in both public and private sectors. — Bernama