Photo: Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: There has been an increase in the percentage of parents opting to receive the Early Schooling Aid (BAP) funds through bank account credit transactions, says Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
“In our survey, we found that there was a 10% increase in parents opting to receive the BAP funds through bank account credit transactions.
“Previously, there had been a 5% increase, and with the additional 10%, bank or credit transactions have become a more preferred choice among parents,” she said during the mock cheque presentation ceremony for the one-off BAP cash aid here on Monday (Jan 13).
Also present at the ceremony were the Prime Minister's wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
She also said that the distribution of the BAP has been expanded to include savings accounts from any bank, rather than being limited to Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) as in previous years.
“By allowing parents or students to use any savings account, the process has been made more flexible and convenient for parents,” she said.
The distribution of BAP to all schools under the ministry’s purview was completed on Jan 10, with a total amount of RM723,165,300 allocated to benefit more than 4 million Year 1 to Form 4 students.
The early school aid of RM150 will be distributed starting Jan 13 for students from Year 1 to Form 4 from the 2024/2025 school session.
A total of RM791,250,000 has been allocated by the Madani government for this one-off payment of RM150 per student, benefiting over 5.2 million students.
Starting 2025, the BAP aid will be extended to Form 6 students. It is estimated that 100,000 Form 6 students will receive the BAP for the first time.
Year 1 pupils (from the 2025/2026 session) and Form 6 students in their second semester will be disbursed on Feb 16. For new Form 6 students, the aid distribution will start on July 1.
