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 in Kuala Terengganu for the first day of term.
Last Monday, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced an allocation of RM800 million 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, reported Bernama.
On 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. — January 11, 2026
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