Getting the right fit: Sallehuddin helping his son try out a school uniform at a retail shop in Jalan Baru, Bukit Mertajam. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
BUKIT MERTAJAM: Parents are busy preparing their children for the new school term which starts in less than three weeks.
Sallehuddin Saad, 46, said he preferred to prepare early so that he would not be in a rush to buy school uniforms.
“I like to do it early to avoid the rush,” said the father of four, when met a retail shop in Jalan Baru here.
The religious school teacher said the Early Schooling Aid (BAP) of RM150 given by the Federal Government was a big help for parents who have more than one child.
He, however, said the aid was only enough for two sets of uniforms, a pair of shoes and a school bag for each of his children.
He said he needed to prepare at least another RM150 for school stationery, books and physical education uniforms.
“Maybe an aid of RM250 for each child would have been better, especially when the prices of everything are rising,” Sallehuddin said.
Another parent, Noor Ain Awang, 36, who was shopping at the same retail shop, said the Federal Government should give more than RM150, especially to those in the B40 group.
“For me, having four children with a salary of about RM2,000 per month is not enough. My husband and I need to pay house rent and groceries on top of the school expenses,” she said.
The delivery rider said her children grew fast and could no longer fit into their school uniforms from last year.
She said from her experience, her children could only wear the uniforms she bought early in the year, and within six months, they no longer fit.
Retail shop manager Cheen Lean Kee said it was still early to see parents rushing to buy school uniforms for their children.
“Most of our customers will be here in the last week of the school holidays,” she said.
Cheen said they were mostly from the B40 group and would spend about RM50 for two pairs of school uniforms and a pair of shoes.
Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) education officer NV Subbarow said the Federal Government could help the needy families by providing more substantial aid to them in preparing their children for school.
“The related government agencies could come up with a new mechanism of subsidy to help this group so that they can buy school items at a discounted price,” he said.
Penang Muslim League deputy president Datuk Shahul Hameed Syed Mohamed said the Madani government must ensure the children from B40 families were assisted in their preparation for the school session.
“Maybe the government can top up the RM150 aid to help the parents ease the cost of living burden,” he said.
The 2024/2025 school session nationwide will start on March 10 and 11, depending on whether states have Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday as weekends.
