Kuala lumpur: Perbadanan Kota Buku (PKB) will drive various efforts supporting the core thrusts of the Malaysian Education Blueprint (RPM) 2026-2035, particularly in expanding access to quality reading materials and promoting a reading culture through digital platforms and a more comprehensive distribution network.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, PKB chief executive officer Adibah Omar stated that as an implementing partner within the ecosystem, the corporation fully supports the RPM, a national strategic plan encompassing the entire education ecosystem, from school to higher education levels.
Adibah emphasized that PKB will continue to strengthen literacy development through the expansion of digital platforms and the distribution of relevant reading materials to reduce access gaps, particularly in rural areas and communities in need.
She highlighted Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek's emphasis on PKB's role in positioning books as a bridge to knowledge equity. Through the Book Voucher initiative in 2024 and 2025, access to reading materials reached the highest level in the country's history, ensuring that students and teachers in remote areas such as Nanga Ulu, Sarawak, and Kinabatangan, Sabah have access to the same titles as those in urban areas.
This effort aligns with the principle of education equity that forms the core of the Ministry of Education's (MOE) agenda. As part of these efforts, PKB supports the contribution of one million exercise books made from recycled paper to students from B40 families.
Adibah mentioned that this year, selected students in Perlis, Kedah, Penang, and Perak will benefit from strategic collaboration between PKB and 27 corporate companies, with each student receiving 10 exercise books to support their daily learning needs.
In efforts to cultivate interest in reading from an early age, PKB also supports the implementation of Mini Kota Buku Cilik in line with the New Preschool Curriculum 2026, aimed at creating a learning environment that encourages consistent reading practices at the preschool level and supports early literacy development in a structured manner.
PKB will collaborate with the MOE to provide digital Braille devices to students with visual impairments, ensuring more equitable and inclusive access to learning. Adibah assured that as the lead agency in developing the national book ecosystem, PKB is committed to implementing every policy and mandate outlined by the Education Minister effectively and inclusively.
She also noted that these initiatives are supported through the development of BookCapital.my as a one-stop center for the national book ecosystem, with books and reading continuing to drive human capital development and support the national education agenda.
The Malaysian Education Blueprint (RPN) 2026-2035, launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last Tuesday, represents an education reform initiative aimed at building a future generation that is more equitable, competitive, and values-based. The RPN encompasses the Malaysian Higher Education Blueprint administered by the Ministry of Higher Education and the RPM under the purview of the Ministry of Education.