KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Form Six students will receive a RM2,500 cost-of-living allowance each next year, matching the rate given to matriculation students, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced today.

Speaking during the tabling of Budget 2027 in Parliament, Anwar said the assistance would benefit 90,000 Form Six students nationwide.

Anwar also announced that the government would increase Bantuan Awal Persekolahan (BAP), or early schooling assistance, from RM150 to RM200 per pupil next year.

He said the RM1 billion allocation would benefit 5.3 million pupils, with a family of four school-going children receiving RM800 to prepare for the 2027 school session.

“The assistance will be distributed through schools.

“This arrangement would allow parents to meet their children’s teachers in person and reinforce their shared responsibility for pupils’ academic progress and character development,” Anwar said.

The government will also allocate RM870 million for the Supplementary Food Programme (Rancangan Makanan Tambahan), benefiting more than 800,000 pupils.

Anwar said the government would also improve the School Public Donations Fund (Tabung Sumbangan Wang Awam Sekolah) to allow voluntary contributions from parents, alumni and the public to be used for school operations, facility repairs, equipment purchases and student programmes.

Cash contributions to the fund will qualify for tax deductions of up to 10 per cent of aggregate income.

To ease teachers’ administrative workload, the government will expand the recruitment of teaching assistants to 200 primary schools with high pupil enrolment.

“Teachers should return to their task of educating children without being burdened by clerical work,” Anwar said.

Further expansion will take place in phases following an assessment of the programme’s effectiveness.