UMNO urged the Education Ministry (MOE) to impose a moratorium on school canteen rental payments until schools reopen in the future.
“Over 10,000 school canteen entrepreneurs across the country are affected by school closures. Therefore, it’s appropriate for us to exclude canteen premise rentals until school resumes as usual,” said its deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan in a Facebook post.
Last year, New Straits Times reported school canteen operators complaining that their livelihoods are severely affected due to school closures, triggered by the pandemic.
While the Government offered some assistance to them under the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (Prihatin) last year, the Government had yet to announce anything significant for them in the latest lockdown.
Elaborating on the issue, Mohamad Hasan urged the Government to extend school canteen operators’ contract for another two years, given that their income was severely affected in the last two years due to COVID-19.
“For now, the Government must do anything it can do reduce the people’s burden,” the Rantau state assemblyman stated.
On related matter, the Umno leader welcomed the Government’s decision to allow children aged 12 and above to get vaccinated.
“I also laud the decision to prioritise inoculating students who will be sitting for public exams this year. This will help accelerate the reopening of schools and restore learning and teaching system,” Mohamad Hasan remarked. – June 19, 2021
