DPM: RM100 school aid may be paid in December

2011/10/16

By Patrick Sennyah
news@nst.com.my

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (left) sharing a light moment with A.Maniamah, 79, and her family members during their visit to the Senawang 2 public housing scheme, near Seremban yesterday.

PORT DICKSON: The government will try to pay the RM100 schooling assistance announced in the 2012 Budget by December this year, Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said here, yesterday.

This was to ease the burden of parents, especially those with many school-going children, he said.

"We were initially supposed to make the payment in January. However, I met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Friday and told him the money would be useful for parents to purchase school uniforms, bags and other necessities.

"The ministries of finance and education will work out the details and we will do our best to make the payments to 5.3 million school-going children in December," he said before handing out land ownership documents and aid to residents of Kampung Paya, here.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the schooling assistance would cost the government more than RM500 million.

He said all payments would be made in cash and through the respective schools. However, students studying at private schools would not be eligible for the assistance.

In the 2012 Budget, Najib, who is also Finance Minister, announced that all primary and secondary students from Year One to Form Five nationwide would receive schooling assistance amounting to RM100 each.

Muhyiddin, who was in Negri Sembilan for a day-long visit, had earlier launched the Raja Melewar Sports Teachers' Training Institute in Seremban, which is the first of its kind in the country to train teachers to become coaches and technical officials.

Two other designated teachers' training institutes, the Perlis Teachers Training Institute and the Tun Abdul Razak Teachers' Training Institute in Sarawak were also simultaneously upgraded as Sports Teachers' Training Institutes during the launch.

Muhyiddin said the launch of the institutes were in line with the one student, one sport policy.

"Each student must participate in at least one sport in school. This would help them be more well-rounded, disciplined and self-confident, while also enhancing racial integration."

Muhyiddin also dismissed claims that the Education Ministry practiced favouritism when awarding recognition to certain schools and that it was based solely on a school's achievements.

"It is unfair to make these allegations when there is no proof. If anyone has proof that our system has been manipulated, then please give it to me and I will personally look into it."

He said his ministry would also look into a proposal that only students who attended 80 per cent of classes during the academic year be allowed to sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. examinations.