Kuala lumpur: Deputy Director-General of Education Malaysia (School Operations Sector), Zainal Abas, has announced that the RM150 Early Schooling Aid (BAP) for all pupils nationwide is expected to 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 stated after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan Gong Tok Nasek for the first day of the term.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had allocated RM800 million for the BAP, offering RM150 to every student from Year 1 to Form 6. The BAP is a one-off cash payment aimed at easing the financial burden on parents or guardians in managing school-related expenses. A total of 5.2 million pupils are set to benefit from this initiative.

Zainal highlighted that the aid has been extended to Form Six students since last year, following their admission based on Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results. Meanwhile, Khairul Nisa Ismail, a 39-year-old housewife, mentioned that the BAP assistance is a significant relief for families with multiple school-age children, especially with the rising cost of living. "I have two children in school, and this helps us purchase school supplies, which can easily exceed RM100. We are thankful to the government for this support," she expressed.

Nor Hakimah Baharuddin, 33, a parent of a Year Two pupil, also shared her plans to use the aid for buying shoes and a school bag. In another development, Zainal noted that the Ministry of Education (MOE) is addressing the issue of heavy school bags by implementing a more structured timetable, limiting 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 further mentioned that academic learning will commence in the second week, with the first week dedicated to student orientation, registration, and administrative tasks.