Plans to restructure salary scale of 10,000 Kemas preschool teachers, says Zahid

PUTRAJAYA - The Rural and Regional Development ministry plans to restructure the salary scale of 10,174 teachers at the Community Development Department (Kemas) preschools based on their qualifications.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the issue would be addressed in a meeting between Public Service Department (JPA) and the Finance Ministry.

"We come up with the ideas, discuss and detail the plans together with JPA and the Finance Ministry so it won't just be a scheme but could also increase the teachers' productivity as well as the pre-schoolers," he said in a press conference after an engagement session at Tabika Pra Tahfiz programme held at Rural and Regional Development Ministry, near here, today.

He said there are many Tabika Kemas teachers with bachelor's degree and Masters but were not paid based on their qualification.

"It is unfair since the scheme is not based on qualification," he said.

Moreover, Zahid said the ministry is targeting at producing young huffaz (Quran memorisers) through the Tabika Pra Tahfiz Kemas programme within three years.

"Kemas is also targetting more than 1,500 of its pre-schoolers to be able to read and memorise up until Surah Ad-Dhuha as preparation to enter Year One by the end of this year school session.

The programme, starting this July, will be an added value to the Islamic Education Programme Module (PPI) which gives special emphasis and focus on two aspects namely learning the act of worship and the Quran recitation.

"The number will gradually increase to 4,000 classes next year, 3,000 classes in 2025 and all Tabika Kemas classes will implement the Pra Tahfiz module by 2026," he explained.

Currently, there are 10,701 Tabika Kemas across the country with 216,322 pre-schoolers.