BAP OF RM150 SHOULD BE GIVEN TO PARENTS IN FULL - FADHLINA

NIBONG TEBAL, Jan 13 (Bernama) --  The Early Schooling Assistance (BAP) of RM150 per student must be handed over in full to parents, without any deductions, for their children’s school preparation.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said any other payments, including Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) fees, must be settled separately and must not be deducted from the BAP.

“This RM150 is allocated by the MADANI Government specifically for school preparation. Therefore, it must be handed over in full.

“If parents receive even 10 sen less, or an amount short by even a cent, they must inform us (the Ministry of Education) because the assistance cannot be reduced,” she told reporters after attending the Penang state-level Early Schooling Assistance 2026 cheque handover ceremony at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah here today.

Fadhlina said the government had allocated more than RM800 million for the implementation of BAP this year, benefiting about 5.2 million students from Year One to Form Six nationwide.

She added that the distribution of the assistance had so far proceeded smoothly, with most parents collecting the aid during the first week of the school session, as many had taken leave to send their children to school.

The Nibong Tebal Member of Parliament expressed hope that the distribution could be completed by this week, as most of the more than 10,000 schools involved had already received the allocations for immediate disbursement.

In a separate development, Fadhlina said the Ministry of Education would ensure that all stakeholders, including parents, sign the Student Protection Policy at schools by next week at the latest.

She said the policy addresses issues such as bullying, sexual harassment, abuse and students’ mental health.

Yesterday, Fadhlina reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to tackling bullying in schools, noting that the signing of the Student Protection Policy reflects a collective pledge to care for, nurture and protect students.

Meanwhile, she said the ministry would investigate complaints from parents regarding inconsistencies in the boarding school application system and would seek further information to facilitate a thorough investigation.

Earlier, Fadhlina handed over BAP totalling more than RM34 million, benefiting over 227,000 primary and secondary school students in Penang.

— BERNAMA