PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry has a huge responsibility in ensuring that every expenditure from the allocation announced in the Budget 2023 will have optimal impact on national education development via seven key thrusts to produce happy students and teachers, high performing schools and a prosperous nation.
The ministry said the highest allocation received, at RM55.2 billion, compared with RM52.6 billion last year, would drive the ministry's continued commitment to further improve the quality of existing infrastructure in schools.
It said one of the ministry's main focuses in the 2023 Budget was to improve the national education standard and preserve the welfare and well-being of teachers and students.
The budget also reflected the government's priority on the education sector and on the Malaysia Madani principles that upheld Malaysians' welfare and wellbeing, the ministry said in a statement today.
Among the allocations for the ministry are RM2.3 billion to build the best infrastructure and learning facilities in all schools; RM920 million to upgrade buildings and infrastructure in 380 poor schools, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, via a special procurement method for urgency, and RM900 million for maintenance of all types of schools, including national primary schools (Sekolah Kebangsaan or SK), Chinese national-type primary schools (SJKC) and Tamil national-type primary schools (SJKT).
The government also allocated RM560 million for the construction of seven new schools, including SK Paya Dusun in Terengganu; Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Denai Alam in Selangor, SMK Nabalu in Sabah and SMK Dudong in Sarawak.
The allocation is also to equip schools which have students with special needs with disabled-friendly facilities, in addition to RM15 million to support non-governmental organisations (NGOs)'s efforts to hold remedial classes for school dropouts.
The ministry also received an allocation of RM777 million, compared with last year's RM625 million, to provide nutritious food under the Supplementary Meal Plan (RMT), which benefits 700,000 students.
In addition, RM108 million is allocated for the ministry's Pre-school Food programme, which will benefit more than 240,000 children.
The ministry said it would monitor food providers to ensure that children would get good quality and nutritious food, in addition to being committed to addressing poverty and malnutrition among students through these programmes.
The government will also supply schools and educational institutions under the ministry with 50,000 laptops this year, which is also in line with the ministry's seventh thrust in improving schools' digital capabilities.
To foster unity, as well as to raise parents, communities and NGOs' roles in the development of children at schools, the ministry said RM20 million had been allocated for the implementation of the gotong-royong programme in all schools nationwide.
The government also allocated RM20 million to promote translation and publishing activities to the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) and the Malaysian Institute of Translation and Books (ITBM).-- Bernama