KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 – More nurseries need to be set up at government agencies to support work-life balance for women civil servants, said the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
She said Welfare Department statistics showed so far only 90 such nurseries were available but there were more that 400 government agencies nationwide.
Providing nurseries at workplaces was more beneficial including in saving time and costs, she said when launching Puspanita’s Annual Conference 2013 here today.
Rosmah, who is also the patron of Puspanita (Association of Wives of Civil Servants and Women Members of the Civil Service), said provision of nurseries would also help women civil servants with little children give their best at work,’
“To ensure Puspanita members, specifically career women give their full commitment to their jobs without sacrificing the family institution, it is important that an eco-system that supports work-life balance is instituted,” she said. As such, she urged Puspanita to form a strategic collaboration with Permata Negara, which is championing early childhood education, to champion the cause (call for nurseries to be set up at government agencies).
She drew attention to the fact that Permata Negara, of which Rosmah is also the patron, had much expertise in the matter after having set up 600 Permata Negara nurseries within seven years.
“Permata Negara is ready to help Puspanita at anytime,” she said. At the same time, Rosmah said Puspanita could become a platform to develop women civil servants to be more dynamic, innnovative and efficient.
This was in line with the evolution of the organisation from a body to bring together wives of civil servants and women in the civil service to one that played a more holistic role with the focus being on education and knowledge and skills generation besides leadership development.
Rosmah also suggested Puspanita introduce a ‘mentor-mentee’ programme for leadership development.
– BERNAMA
