PETALING JAYA: The Early Schooling Aid (BAP) of RM150 provided to each student is hardly making a dent due to rising costs, say parents.
On Friday, the Education Ministry announced that the RM150 aid will be distributed starting tomorrow for students in Year 1 all the way to Form 4.
The ministry also said that the aid for Year 1 pupils from the 2025/2026 session, and Form 6 students in their second semester, will be disbursed by Feb 16.
Zuraida Ismail, 34, from Kuala Lumpur, said she plans to use the money to buy school uniforms for her child.
“It’s not a lot and doesn’t cover all the expenses, but it does help a little,” she said, adding that she spends around RM200 monthly for her seven-year-old daughter’s daily school allowance.
“Although I appreciate this one-off assistance, more support is needed to ease parents’ financial burdens. The amount should be more than RM150,” she said.
Another parent, Low Chiew Yee, 38, from Selangor, said her eight-year-old son received RM150 for the first time last year, which was used to buy books, while the balance went into the savings.
“RM150 isn’t enough for all school supplies,” she said, noting that the process to receive the aid is simple, with options for cash collection at school or bank transfer.
“Being a middle-income family with three children is challenging as we rely solely on my husband’s income.
“We hope the government will understand our situation and consider increasing the aid amount,” she said.
Another mother, Tan Ai Ling, 36, from Ampang, expressed her hopes to receive this small amount of aid as her daughter starts Year 1 this year.
She said her daughter needs different uniforms for different days: two days in school uniform, two days in sports attire, and one day in extracurricular activity wear, which all adds up to a significant amount.
Parents can choose the price range for school uniforms based on their ability, but sports attire must be purchased through the school’s shop and usually costs more than RM34.
“I might use the aid to offset the cost of buying school and sports uniforms,” she said, adding that while her joint income with her husband is adequate for their family of three, educational expenses have increased by 10% since their daughter started school.
Tan is worried about keeping up with inflation despite saving since her daughter’s birth.
“We hope the government can improve the economy, especially by boosting family incomes,” she said.
According to Lai Seek Foong, 43, BAP will come in handy for necessities such as uniforms and shoes
“The start of the school year is always an expensive time. This assistance really helps us to prepare them properly,” said the homemaker.
Lai added that the assistance not only eases her financial burden, but also gives her peace of mind knowing her daughter can start the year with new uniforms and shoes.
Similarly, Naqib Faisal, 48, shared that the aid is a much welcome relief.
“School books are not cheap now, so this assistance will help me cover these costs without using our savings,” said the sales representative from Klang.
Wanting to be known only as Chang, 46, a mother of two said BAP will go towards her children’s learning tools and savings.
“I’ll buy stationery and exercise books first. My children’s schools usually require a long list of items, from pens and pencils to specific workbooks. BAP helps to cover some of the costs,” said the sales manager from Petaling Jaya.
