KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will continue providing the RM100 Buku Madani vouchers to secondary school and university students nationwide, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The aid will be channelled directly through a discount mechanism when purchasing books, the Prime Minister said.
He said the government remains committed to prioritising education and reading despite fiscal constraints.
He described the voucher programme as essential to building a knowledgeable and civilised society.
"If we want to make this country a civilised nation with broad knowledge and learning, we must encourage reading," he said.
Anwar was speaking during the launch of the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair on Friday (May 29).
He said all secondary school students under the Education Ministry and university students under the Higher Education Ministry would continue to receive RM100 each.
"I told the Finance Ministry that even though things are difficult and there are financial constraints, matters relating to books and education must continue to be prioritised," he said.
Anwar explained that the vouchers would be implemented similarly to previous years.
However, the assistance would now be transferred directly to the students.
He urged parents to ensure the vouchers were used to buy books and to monitor their children’s reading habits.
"Parents should make full use of these book vouchers and ensure their children do not simply buy books and leave them on the shelf," he said.
He added that children should actually begin reading them.
The Prime Minister expressed concern over what he described as a declining reading culture in the modern era.
He said this was driven by excessive reliance on social media.
Anwar noted that many people now preferred consuming short-form content online, often attempting to address complex issues in just a few words.
"The reading culture has become a problem in the modern world," he said.
"Many people have lost interest in reading because they only read social media, trying to solve complex problems in 20 words," he added.
He noted that some use it to insult others and reject national policies in 40 words.
"This is dangerous and harmful. This is not education. This is not the tradition of knowledge," he said.
Anwar reiterated his call for parents to play a more active role in cultivating reading habits among their children.
He said reading should become a daily practice beginning at home.
