PUTRAJAYA, Sept 29 — School safety is among the key areas that will be prioritised by the Education Ministry (MOE) in Budget 2026, which will be tabled on October 10 in the Dewan Rakyat.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the ministry’s other areas of focus include the development of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), anti-bullying support initiatives, digital and technology-related matters, preparations for Curriculum 2027 and a new education development plan.
“There are several important matters, including TVET, which we will focus on more specifically, in the context of looking at the current national priorities, needs, and direction.
“Overall, our presentation, submissions, and requests for Budget 2026 are very comprehensive and certainly have specific targets to continue enhancing and elevating the quality of the nation’s education,” she told the media after launching the National Reading Decade (DMK) 2025 here today.
The MOE was given RM64.1 billion in last year’s budget.
In a separate development, Fadhlina said over 700 of the 10,000 schools nationwide have been audited to ensure their safety standards are up to par.
“We still have a long way to go, but we are seeing very good progress. We will announce the audit’s preliminary findings in the near future,” she said.
This follows earlier media reports that the MOE had directed the Schools Inspectorate head to mobilise its officers to conduct safety audits, with weekly reports.
The measure is one of several initiatives taken to strengthen safety in schools and hostels.
Meanwhile, in a statement today, the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) said the DMK is part of a long-term national initiative, which began in 2021 and will run until 2030.
It aims to foster a reading culture and propel Malaysia into the top 20-ranked reading nations by 2030 under the #MalaysiaMembaca aspiration.
“The DMK is a collaborative effort, involving various ministries, government agencies, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, and the wider public.
“Through this initiative, the government aims to establish Malaysia as a reading nation and cultivate a world-class, knowledgeable society,” the statement read.
The DBP added that the DMK targets a significant increase in the number of books read by Malaysians to raise the average from 15 to 50 titles per year by 2030.
