KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Parents have lauded the government’s commitment to maintain the Early Schooling Aid, as announced in Budget 2024 last week. For many, the announcement comes as a welcome relief.
Those interviewed by Bernama said that although the aid, which amounts to RM150 per student, may not cover all of their schooling expenses, it still goes a long way in alleviating their financial burden.
“There is assistance given at least, and we get a chance to save some money,” Ipoh-based civil servant and father of three Mohd Syahrul Ismail said.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Education said the aid announced on Friday (October 13) under Budget 2024 involves a RM788,130,000 allocation, and the one-off cash aid will be credited into their respective accounts starting January next year.
The assistance is expected to benefit 5,254,200 students from Year One to Form Five or its equivalent nationwide.
Meanwhile, general assistant Ahmad Fadhlan Mohamed Latifi, 32, said this is the second time he is getting the aid which would be spent entirely on school equipment for his eldest child, who will turn eight next year.
“I have two children, but only one is in school for now. Hopefully, with everything new, my son will be motivated to go to school and work hard,” said the Ipoh, Perak, resident.
In Pahang, private sector worker Hafizah Aina Halimi, 33, said she is grateful to the government, adding the proactive measure shows its seriousness in helping parents prepare for the new school session.
“The aid will be a great help as we will also need to prepare for Hari Raya (Aidilfitri), which will fall about the same time as the start of the new academic session next year,” said the mother of two.
For housewife Hernita Razali, 34, the government’s initiative will greatly ease her family’s burden in preparing for her children’s schooling needs.
“We are grateful as we need not worry over our children’s school expenses as the family is financially dependent on my husband, who works as a technician. I just delivered my fourth child, and of course, that required a lot of expenses, ” she said.
In Sabah, housewife Adteen Adi, 43, expressed gratitude for the government’s initiative to continue the assistance.
“The aid is a relief, especially for parents with several school-going children, said Adteen, whose five children are in secondary and primary schools.
Adteen, who runs a small business, said the amount of aid should be increased given the rising costs of school supplies.
Meanwhile, another housewife who only wants to be known as Hayati, 32, is thankful as the aid means a lot to low-income households.
“With the aid coming, we can now start scouting for cheap, quality goods and shop with ease,” said the mother of two children aged eight and five.
— Bernama
