Education Ministry to improve early schooling aid payment process from time to time

NIBONG TEBAL: The Education Ministry will improve the payment process for the Bantuan Awal Persekolahan programme, including crediting it directly into the student’s or their parents’ bank accounts to ensure safety and save time.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek (pic) said she took note of all the suggestions from various parties regarding the payment process for the early schooling aid programme.

"...but the early school aid payment process has its standard operating procedure (SOP) and the finance division has determined how it takes place.

"For now, we will maintain the existing method, but we will improve it from time to time,” she told reporters after delivering Chinese New Year donations to 103 senior citizens in Kampung Jawi, here, on Tuesday (Jan 17) night.

The Nibong Tebal MP said this when asked to comment on former Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin’s proposal for the early school aid payments to be credited directly into the student’s bank account for safety and time savings.

Fadhlina said that at the moment, the ministry would continue with handing out the early school aid money face-to-face, taking into account that there are parents who do not have bank accounts.

The issue arose following an incident involving a school headmaster who lost RM109,000 in school aid allocated for a school in Beranang, Selangor, when it was stolen from his car last Monday.

The money had earlier been withdrawn by the headmaster from a bank and placed in a bag in the front passenger seat of his car while he went to a nearby shop to buy a drink in Semenyih.

According to Kajang OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Zaid Hassan, based on a statement by the 50-year-old headmaster, it was normal for him to make such a transaction without a police escort.- Bernama