SEREMBAN: Some 500 teachers and their assistants at 220 preschools for children from under-privileged families claim that they have not been paid since January.

       The teachers were supposed to be paid RM1,500 a month while the assistants were to receive RM1,200.

       These staff are from five non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which have been receiving grants from the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra), a government body set up to assist poor families from the Indian community.

       Divine Life Society president Datuk R. Batumalai, speaking on behalf of the NGOs, said the funds had yet to be released although all the relevant documentation for the annual grant had been submitted to Mitra in February.

       “Although we submitted the application earlier this year, we were asked to do it again in August and we complied,” he said.

       He said the delay was “regrettable” when the government had approved such funds for the betterment of the community, adding that the annual cost for the programme was about RM9mil.

       Some 6,300 children from B40 and M40 households study at these centres. The government has allocated RM100mil to Mitra under Budget 2021 to help the B40 Indian community and empower them through education.

       Apart from Divine Life Society, the other NGOs involved in the programme are Pertubuhan Guru Tadika Zon Utara Semenanjung Malaysia, Child Information, Learning and Development Centre, Pertubuhan Pusat Pembangunan Kanak-Kanak Cemerlang and Malaysia Hindu Sangam Yayasan Atmah.

       Batumalai said the programme, which began in 2007, was initially funded by a tycoon.

       In 2014, the government, through the Socio-Economic Development of the Indian Community Unit began financing the programme only to rename it four years later to Mitra.

       “Part of the annual grant was also previously used to provide breakfast as well as to buy learning and teaching materials, and insurance coverage for the children.

       “We have been barely managing these past few months as some 20% of the pre-schoolers pay a small fee,” he said adding that the rental for the premises is also paid from these contributions.

       Batumalai said despite the delay, the teachers, who either have a diploma in early childhood education or are SPM qualified, have continued providing online lessons amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Parents are required to go to the relevant centres to collect weekly homework for their children. Most of these centres are located in rural areas and smaller towns.