Education improved for RI maids

BATAM, Riau: An woman Indonesian philanthropist in Singapore has earmarked S$1 million (Rp 4.8 billion) for the establishment of an education center there, in order to improve the quality of Indonesian maids in the city-state.

The philanthropist, whose his husband was a relative of a top official in Singapore, declined to be named, according to a source at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore.

The source said on Thursday that the establishment of the education center, which would be run by a private foundation in Singapore, was aimed at improving the household and language skills of Indonesian maids. Currently, hundreds of thousands of maids from Indonesia work in Singapore.

The maids mostly lack language and household skills; the lack of both skills not only affected their work performance, but also put them in danger. More than 90 Indonesian maids have died for a variety of reasons over the last three years, including falling from apartments, and conflicts with employers stemming from language and cultural barriers. -- Antara