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KUCHING, Aug 8: Women, Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development (KPWK) Sarawak MInister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah points out that from Jan 1 to July 31 this year, the total number of births of Sarawakian children with ‘K’ status is 19,372, while the total number of Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS) applications is only 12,450 (64 per cent).
She emphasised that this was due to the fact that some parents found the EFS application process tedious.
The KPWK minister explained that she has encountered parents who have applied for ‘Bantuan Ibu Bersalin’ (BIB) but have shown no interest in applying for EFS.
“As a result, we plan to increase our intervention efforts, including conducting outreach programmes in collaboration with other agencies and participating in major government events,” she said during today’s press conference on EFS, which was held at Bangunan Baitul Makmur II in Petra Jaya, Kuching.
Meanwhile, Fatimah mentioned that a total of 100,202 EFS accounts have been opened since its implementation in 2019 until July 31, 2023, involving an allocation of RM100.2 million.
“EFS is one of initiatives of the Sarawak government with a grant of RM1,000 in the form of trust savings for every birth of a Sarawakian child regardless of race, religion, and socio-economic status, implemented since Jan 2019.
“The trust savings, which have the potential to exceed RM2,000 by the time the child turns 18, are designed to assist the children of Sarawak in preparing for higher education, embarking on a career, or utilising as capital for a small business venture,” she said.
Furthermore, she stated that the Sarawak government, through her ministry, is in the process of improving EFS management, with one of the main improvements being the automatic application for EFS, which will be implemented on January 1, 2024.
“The Ministry will make additional announcements following Cabinet approval,” she added.
According to a press handout, the application for EFS can be submitted manually at all 52 branches of the National Registration Department (JPN) in the state of Sarawak, for applicants residing in Sarawak.
“Applicants from outside Sarawak can submit applications by mailing the required documents to the Birth, Death, and Adoption Division of the Sarawak State National Registration Department (NRD) Headquarters.
“The application must be made within one year from the date of the baby’s birth. Application can also be done online by downloading the iSarawakCare application which can be found on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
“Those who are interested can also visit https://isarawakcare.sarawak.gov.my for more information. Online application for EFS through iSarawakCare is expected to start on May 1, 2023.” — DayakDaily
