Penang offers a March 31 deadline for unregistered nurseries and care centres to verify status, with incentives for compliance and enforcement to follow.
GEORGE TOWN: Operators of unregistered nurseries, kindergartens and daycare centres in Penang have until March 31 to verify their registration status with authorities. State Social Development, Welfare and Non-Islamic Affairs Committee chairman Lim Siew Khim said enforcement action will follow after the deadline.
She said this period allows operators potentially omitted from official lists to come forward. “After the deadline, no further appeals will be considered,” Lim told a press conference.
Official records from December 31 last year list 1,033 such centres in Penang. Of these, 225 premises remain unregistered.
The breakdown shows 213 are nurseries, with 61 unregistered. There are 557 kindergartens, where 84 lack registration, and 263 daycare centres, with 80 unregistered.
Lim stressed the issue requires serious attention as these centres cater to vulnerable groups. She said the state has approved a special initiative to help operators verify their status.
For centres registered with relevant departments before December 31, the state offers a Planning Permission exemption. They also face a fixed RM1,000 processing fee for an infrastructure registration certificate.
New applications submitted after that date will receive a 50% discount on development fees for change of use charges. Operators are also exempt from fines estimated at around RM10,000 per premises for past unapproved operations.
This legalisation period and incentive programme is effective from March 1 to February 28, 2027. Enforcement action will commence against any unregistered premises still operating from March 1, 2027.
Lim has also directed the Penang Social Welfare Department to conduct more frequent surprise inspections. She called for a thorough review of operators’ compliance with the Caregiver Accreditation Programme (KAP).
“All caregivers must attend the KAP to ensure professionalism and quality of care meet set standards,” she said. Lim hopes for regular monitoring to prevent incidents like a recent baby’s death at a nursery.
