Fourth formers can also access education support this year
THIS year’s edition of Selangor’s free tuition programme is set to benefit some 130,000 Form Four and Form Five students.
Started in 2009, Program Tuisyen Rakyat Selangor (PTRS) aims to provide access to education support for students preparing for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said this year’s inclusion of Form Four students was to prepare them early for the exam.
RM10mil has been allocated to support the 2024 edition of PTRS.
“RM7mil comes from Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) Selangor, while RM3mil is from the state government.
“The funds will cover tuition classes, learning modules and teachers’ allowance,” he said during the programme launch at Dewan Raja Muda Musa in Shah Alam.
The event was attended by almost 1,000 people from the education sector.
Last year, some 65,000 fifth formers benefitted from PTRS free modules and supplementary classes, according to a statement by MBI Selangor.
The programme involves all 284 Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan, Sekolah Menengah Agama, Sekolah Agama Menengah Tinggi, Sekolah Agama Bantuan Kerajaan and Maahad Integrasi Tahfiz Selangor in the state.
Amirudin said the state government would also implement the “Post-SPM Leadership and Talent Development Module” in January after the end of the 2024/25 school year and SPM timetable.
“The module is to further expand the potential of Form Four and Form Five students identified by the schools.
“They will be equipped with leadership as well as other skills to increase their resilience and adaptability as they move on to tertiary education.
“We are still coordinating with Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) Negeri Selangor, which is partnering district education offices to implement the programme’s various aspects such as the budget,” he said.
Amirudin said the state government also introduced a PTRS mobile application to ease students’ access to learning materials.
“This is part of efforts to digitalise the learning process and make sure that supplementary education provided by PTRS can be accessed anywhere, anytime.
“We will also study the need to provide data packages for students to use the app,” he said.
He added that the state government would start literacy and numeracy intervention programmes for primary school pupils whose schooling was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I hope PTRS 2024 will generate a huge impact in students’ academic achievements and produce a competitive generation,” he said.
At the ceremony, Amirudin handed out 2024 PTRS modules to Selangor Education Department director Dr Jafri Abu and Islamic Religious Department Academic Management Sector (Islamic Education Unit) head Abd Halim Saljadi.
Appointment letters were also presented to PTRS task force members, district coordinators and module writers, and GPMS Negeri Selangor.
Amirudin also handed out prizes to PTRS 2023 participants who achieved excellent results in last year’s SPM, alongside Chromebook laptops to representatives from SMK USJ 23 in Subang Jaya, SMK Bandar Saujana Putra (Jenjarom) and SMK Bandar Puncak Jalil (Seri Kembangan).
Present at the event were Selangor youth, sports and entrepreneurship committee chairman Mohd Najwan Halimi, rural development, unity and consumer committee chairman Datuk Rizam Ismail, MBI Selangor chief executive officer Saipolyazan M. Yusop, Yayasan Selangor acting chief executive officer Zaini Sulaiman and Yayasan MBI head Ahmad Azri Zainal Nor.
On a separate matter, Amirudin said about 120,000 Jalur Gemilang will be displayed around Selangor in conjunction with the 67th National Day.
“Local councils have been encouraged to have at least 5,000 flags while the state constituency service centres are encouraged to have at least 1,000.
“Government subsidiaries are also urged to distribute the Jalur Gemilang to their staff as a sign of patriotism,” he added.