Kuala Lumpur:The Education Ministry has received nearly RM69 billion under Budget 2027 to improve the quality of national education by upgrading school infrastructure and enhancing the welfare of students and teachers.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the allocation includes RM2 billion earmarked for the repair and maintenance of various schools and nearly RM1.3 billion dedicated to upgrading 682 dilapidated schools, focusing on reducing the educational facility gap in rural and remote areas.
Dr. Nazreena Mohammed Yasin, a senior lecturer at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia's Department of Social Sciences, highlighted the importance of this funding in providing students with a safe and conducive learning environment. She noted that the education gap involves not only academic achievement but also the opportunity to learn in well-equipped facilities. Schools with infrastructure issues such as insufficient buildings, water, electricity, or internet access face different challenges compared to those with better resources. Therefore, this allocation could narrow that gap.
The government also plans to expand the deployment of teacher assistants to 200 high-density primary schools, allowing teachers to focus more on education, lesson planning, guiding pupils, and assessing learning progress. Dr. Nazreena emphasized the need to strengthen teaching and learning quality, including critical thinking and digital skills, to ensure the budget increase benefits students comprehensively.
Assoc Prof Dr. Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar, dean of the Faculty of Educational Studies at Universiti Putra Malaysia, stated that the budget increase from RM66.2 billion this year to RM69 billion next year is a crucial investment in human capital development and the nation's future. He stressed the importance of translating every allocation into tangible outcomes, particularly in school conditions, student wellbeing, teacher support, and access to quality education.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the budget, themed "Reaching for the Skies, While Anchored on Our Values," noting that the allocation for school repairs and maintenance had doubled from RM1 billion to RM2 billion. The Finance Minister added that allocations for National Schools have increased to RM900 million, National-Type Chinese Schools to RM100 million, and National-Type Tamil Schools to RM50 million. The hiring of teacher assistants will also be expanded in phases, contingent on effectiveness evaluations.