PUTRAJAYA: Private kindergartens receiving aid under the ‘Anak Pintar, Negara Gemilang’ subsidy programme will be blacklisted if found charging additional monthly fees beyond the subsidised amount.
Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA) chairman P. Prabakaran stated that such centres must return all received funds to MITRA upon violation.
He emphasised that continuous monitoring will ensure these practices do not burden parents from the B40 income group.
Prabakaran revealed that audit monitoring had already identified a handful of kindergartens collecting extra fees despite receiving full subsidies.
The ‘Anak Pintar, Negara Gemilang’ programme, initiated in 2014, has approved aid for 173 private kindergartens involving 4,025 children this year.
This represents an allocation of 7.75 million ringgit to support early childhood education for underprivileged communities.
The subsidy programme aligns with the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 to provide equal educational access for B40 families.
Prabakaran highlighted three key objectives: increasing Indian children’s enrolment rates, easing financial burdens on households, and narrowing early education access gaps.
He expressed hope that subsidised children would continue their education in Tamil national-type schools (SJKT) for primary education.
Prabakaran also distributed MITRA’s 2024 Report Card during the event, detailing government-funded activities throughout last year.
He announced that a soft copy of the report card would be uploaded to his social media platforms for public access. – Bernama
