By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Oct 13: The unity government will allocate RM2.5 billion for the construction of 26 new schools throughout the country, including one in Sarawak – SMK Vaie in Bintulu.
Among other schools to benefit include SMK Laya-Laya in Tuaran, Sabah; SMK Seri Melati in Kuantan, Pahang; SMK Bandar Universiti in Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak and SMK Binjai in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.
This allocation is part of the RM58.7 billion budget designated for the education sector, which is the highest allocation under Budget 2024, with an increase from the previous RM55.2 billion.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim informed that a total of RM1 billion will be allocated for the maintenance of all types of schools, including national schools, religious schools, Tamil and Chinese schools, as well as special education schools with a focus on the needs of autistic students.
“From next year, the government has agreed to expand the parents’ income criteria for the Federal Small Scholarship (BKP) application according to the poverty line income (PGK) of RM2,589 compared to RM1,500 previously.
“The expansion of this condition will give the opportunity to an additional 35,000 children from less able families to get BKP,” he said when tabling the Budget 2024 in Parliament which was broadcasted live in national televisions today.
In order to ensure that the children of poor families do not drop out of school, Anwar who is also the Finance Minister, highlighted that the government has also agreed to extend assistance under the Poor Student Trust Fund to students up to Form 3, compared to just Form 1 students previously.
Overall, he added that one million students will receive benefits with an allocation of RM150 million.
In addition, Anwar emphasised that the government would provide RM100 million to maintain and upgrade school computer labs and acquire new equipment for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning.
This step is taken given that the Ministry of Education has recorded a decrease in the participation of upper secondary students in STEM streams to 40.94 per cent in 2022 compared to 45.2 per cent in 2017.
In order to empower STEM, he added, a cross-ministerial STEM Special Committee will be established among other things to set targets and measures to increase participation in STEM fields among secondary school students. — DayakDaily
