SHAH ALAM, Oct 9 — The government will increase Early Schooling Aid payouts from RM150 to RM200 per pupil for the 2027 school session, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced today.
He said the assistance would benefit 5.3 million pupils, with RM1 billion allocated for the initiative.
“This means a family with four children will receive RM800 to prepare for the 2027 school session,” he said when tabling Budget 2027 in Parliament today.
Anwar said the assistance would be distributed through schools to allow parents to meet teachers in person.
“This is a shared responsibility for the academic progress and character development of our children,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anwar said the Education Ministry (MOE) will receive the largest allocation under Budget 2027 with nearly RM69 billion, up from RM66.2 billion this year.
Among other measures, he said the government will double the allocation for the repair and maintenance of schools from RM1 billion to RM2 billion, including RM900 million for national schools, RM100 million for Chinese schools and RM50 million for Tamil schools.
“Although the number of pupils in Tamil schools is relatively smaller, their poor infrastructure requires urgent attention,” he explained.
He added that registered religious schools, tahfiz institutions, and pondok schools under the Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) will receive RM200 million, with the allocation expanded to cover operating costs.
Anwar said the government is also allocating nearly RM1.3 billion to upgrade 682 dilapidated schools nationwide, with a particular focus in Sabah and Sarawak.
He added that additional classrooms will be built to cater to nearly 500,000 pupils who are expected to enter Year 1 next year, including more than 70,000 six-year-olds.
“To accommodate the increase in Year 1 enrolment, 3,500 more classrooms to be completed by the end of this year using the Industrialised Building System (IBS).”
Anwar said new schools, preschool buildings and additional facilities will also be developed at selected locations, including the Sekolah Bandar Serenia Complex in Sepang, Selangor, and SJKT Ladang Pamol in Kluang, Johor.
Meanwhile, Anwar said the government will also improve the School Public Donations Fund to allow voluntary contributions from parents, alumni and the public to be used for school operations, facility repairs, equipment purchases and pupil programmes.
“Cash contributions to the fund will qualify for tax deductions of up to 10 per cent of aggregate income,” he said.
Anwar also announced a RM2,500 living allowance for 90,000 Form 6 students, matching the rate provided to matriculation students, while RM870 million will be allocated for the Supplementary Food Programme, which will benefit more than 800,000 pupils.
