KUALA TERENGGANU, Jan 11 — Deputy Director-General of Education Malaysia (School Operations Sector), Zainal Abas, says the RM150 Early Schooling Aid (BAP) for all pupils nationwide should be fully disbursed by the weekend.

“We have transferred the funds to the schools’ bank accounts. They can start distributing it from today or tomorrow. It depends on when schools arrange for parents to collect it.

“We expect the process to be completed by the end of the week,” he added after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan Gong Tok Nasek for the first day of term.

Last Monday, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced an RM800 million allocation for the BAP, which provides RM150 to every student from Year 1 to Form 6.

The BAP is a one-off cash payment of RM150 provided to 5.2 million pupils to help ease the financial burden on parents or guardians in meeting school-related expenses.

Zainal also noted that the aid has been extended to Form Six students since last year, following admission based on their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results.

Meanwhile, Khairul Nisa Ismail, a 39-year-old housewife, said the BAP assistance is a significant help in relieving the pressure on families with multiple school-age children, especially amid the rising cost of living.

“I have two children in school, and this helps us purchase school supplies, which can easily exceed RM100. We are thankful to the government for this support,” she said.

Echoing this sentiment, Nor Hakimah Baharuddin, 33, a parent of a Year Two pupil, shared that the aid will be used to buy shoes and a school bag. 

In a separate matter, Zainal said that the Ministry of Education (MOE) is taking measures to address the issue of heavy school bags, including a more structured timetable that limits daily lessons to three or four subjects. 

“Each subject requires only one exercise book. We advise parents to review their child’s weekly timetable and ensure they only bring books relevant to the next day’s subjects,” he explained.

He added that academic learning will commence in the second week, with the first week dedicated to student orientation, registration, and administrative tasks. — Bernama