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- Staff of National Registration Department (JPN) following the tabling of Budget 2017 by Najib via live telecast by TV1. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: The 2017 Budget will continue to give emphasis on preschool for children with the provision of various allocations, including RM200 million to improve daily nutritional food packages that are more balanced for the benefit of 280,000 children.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when tabling the budget themed “Ensuring Economic Growth, Inclusive Prudent Spending, and Wellbeing of the People”, said the allocation included 250ml of milk, raisins and eggs.
“Furthermore, a sum of RM132 million is provided to improve access to preschool education in government schools for free, benefitting 200,000 children,” he said when tabling the 2017 Budget, at the Dewan Rakyat here yesterday.
He said the government would continue with the Additional Food Assistance and Per Capita Grant to children enrolled in Tabika and Taska programmes.
Meanwhile, Najib who is also the Finance Minister announced an allocation of RM85 million for the Permata programme involving 30,000 children.
He said the initiatives that would be implemented under the allocation included the establishment of the ‘Top Stem Talents’ Centre of Excellence at the Malaysian Science Academy.
In addition, he said, the Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Raja Melewar in Negeri Sembilan, and Kampus Tuanku Bainun in Penang would be refurbished to become Permata Pintar dan Berbakat Centre.
Meanwhile, the allowances for 11,000 Kemas assistants would be raised from RM400 to RM500 in appreciation of their services, he said.
A sum of RM340 million was allocated for tablet teaching aid for 430,000 educators through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
In addition, several initiatives would be implemented in primary and secondary schools, namely:
i. Reconstructing 120 destitute schools, comprising 60 in the peninsula, 30 in Sabah and 30 in Sarawak using the ‘Industrialised Building System’ and upgrading 1,800 science laboratories with an allocation of RM570 million.
ii. Completing the construction of 227 schools, including eight new schools with an allocation of RM478 million.
iii. Extending the English Language proficiency programme through the ‘Cambridge English’, ‘Dual Language’ and ‘Highly Immersive’ with an allocation of RM90 million.
In addition, the 2017 Budget would support parents in reducing their children’s schooling expenses by implementing the following programmes:
i. Providing Schooling Assistance Programme of RM100 each to students from families earning up to RM3,000 which would benefit 3.5 million students.
ii. RM1.1 billion for the Hostel Meal Assistance Programme for 365,000 students.
iii. RM300 million for 1Malaysia Supplementary Food Programme for primary school students.
iv. RM1.1 billion to include Additional Assistance Payment for School Fees; Textbook Assitance and Per Capita Grant Assistance.
v. Providing Matching Grants of up to RM50 for accumulated savings in SSPN-i to Year 1 students in fully-assisted government schools.
vi. Providing Special Needs Student Allowance of RM150 monthly, involving 67,000 students as well as replacing buses for 21 special education schools.
vii. Providing an allocation of RM600 million to the Special Fund for Improvement and Maintenance of Schools; of which:
l RM250 million would be for National Schools;
l RM50 million would be for National-type Chinese Schools;
l RM50 million would be for National-Type Tamil Schools;
l RM50 million to be channeled to Religious Schools;
l RM50 million for Fully-Residential Schools;
l RM50 million for Government-aided Religious Schools;
l RM50 million for registered Sekolah Pondok; and
l RM50 million for Maktab Rendah Sains MARA. —Bernama