SINGAPORE: Minister of State for Community
Development, Youth and Sports Halimah Yacob has urged foreign
domestic workers -- who would have one day off every week from next
year -- to make use of the mandatory day off to upgrade
themselves.
While some choose to spend their day off shopping or
catching up with friends, some Indonesian maids had been spending
two days every month -- for the past two to three years --
studying.
The 52 maids on Sunday graduated with high school or
pre-university certificates.
Since 2009, 1,789 Indonesian maids have enrolled in the Sekolah
Indonesia Singapura to brush up on their sewing and computer
literacy skills, as well as English proficiency.
With the mandatory weekly day off for foreign maids kicking in next
year, Madam Halimah said she hopes more maids will take advantage
of the extra time they have, to acquire new skills.
"[It would be] a chance for them to rejuvenate, to rest and to
revitalise in different ways, connecting with their friends, with
their community. But at the same time, also upgrade themselves, so
[as] to benefit themselves as well as their employers too," Madam
Halimah said.
According to the Indonesian embassy, there are currently 120,000
Indonesian maids in Singapore.
Sekolah Indonesia Singapura, a training school for maids, takes in
up to 400 students a year.
With the extra day off, it expects an additional 500 to enrol in
its courses next year.
It plans to roll out more courses on business management and will
also hold weekly courses, instead of fortnightly.
Sekolah Indonesia Singapura principal Yaya Sutarya said: "I would
like to give them the additional skills, like how to cook, and how
to serve better, and how to be entrepreneurs.
"After they go back from Singapore, they can open their company in
Indonesia."
Courses at the school costs S$100 per year.
Separately, Madam Halimah said her ministry is looking into ways to
reduce Singaporeans' reliance on maids, such as by increasing the
number of childcare places.
"We are one of the countries in the world with the highest number
of foreign domestic workers and many other countries, especially
the advanced, developed countries, their dependence on foreign
domestic workers is not so high," she said.
"So we may have to think of other alternatives, rather than depend
on increasing the supply or the number of foreign domestic
workers."
About 200 more childcare centres will be built by 2018 to cater to
the increase in demand for childcare services.
These new childcare centres will be built in areas that have higher
demand, such as Woodlands and Bukit Panjang.
- CNA/wk
