A backbencher contends that it is “very unfair” for more than 9,500 teachers at PAS-run Islamic preschools to receive only RM600 to RM700 in allowances, far below the minimum wage.
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PH-Setiawangsa) said the argument that teachers at Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam, or Pastis, were volunteers rather than workers was unacceptable.
The former minister said this went against the RM1,700 minimum wage rule and skirted other obligations, such as contributions to EPF and the Social Security Organisation.
“This is clearly against the law. If every employer labelled their workers as volunteers, no one would pay the minimum wage,” he told the Dewan Rakyat when debating the 13th Malaysia Plan.
Nik Nazmi added that many of these teachers earning such sums lived in high-cost areas like the Klang Valley.
He told FMT that this may not be the case for all of these teachers but was based on “continuous complaints” he has been receiving from some of them.
Pastis, which are Islamic preschools established by PAS‘s youth wing, started in the late 1980s to provide an alternative, faith-based early education system.
According to Nik Nazmi, there are 2,497 Pastis nationwide with 9,539 teachers and 125,065 children, aged four to six, as of 2024.
Syahir Sulaiman (PN-Bachok) defended the preschools, saying the teachers only worked short hours. He said Pastis do not rely on government funds, unlike those run by the education ministry.
He also said Pastis operate on public donations and support from PAS divisions to avoid burdening the government.
Nik Nazmi nonetheless maintained that these teachers were workers.
“Legally, they are workers. Whether full-time or part-time, they must be treated as such. If Pasti is registered and meets the criteria, they must follow the law.
“Paying RM600 or RM700 doesn’t reduce problems for the government, it makes them worse,” he said.
