by Shahrum Sayuthi and Sim Bak Heng

JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA - Housekeeping will no longer be a menial job when the government goes ahead with plans to train workers into professional "home managers".

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday announced a RM10 million ($4.2 million) fund to start a training programme on the speciality by the year's end.

He said the programme would provide women with the option of starting a career in household management with reasonably good pay, which at the same time would elevate the status of occupations such as housekeepers and nannies.

Eventually, this will help reduce the overdependence on foreign maids and optimise the use of local manpower, he said.

Statistics from the Economic Planning Unit show that there are 200,000 foreign maids working in the country.
"The training programmes will cover housekeeping and taking care of children, senior citizens and babies, and also women under confinement."

"Those who complete the training will be qualified to provide their services in domestic homes, old folks homes or kindergartens."

Abdullah was speaking at the National Women's Day celebration at the Persada Convention Centre here yesterday.

Elaborating on the programme, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said she had proposed a basic wage of RM700 to RM1,200 for trainees completing the programme.

"This is not a welfare programme. It is a service economy project which is both practical and functional, considering that many women are absorbed into the career market and there is a huge demand for home managers.

"Compared with foreign maids, their service charge is reasonable. This is because an employer has to pay agent fees, medical charges and salary to hire a foreign maid, which works out to be as much as a local housekeeper."

Dr Ng said about 46 per cent of the country's 13 million women were working.

The percentage is small compared with about 70 per cent in developed countries.

About three million housewives make up about 45 per cent of the unpaid workforce.