Anwar: School maintenance allocation to rise from RM1b to RM1.5b in 2027

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a 50% increase in maintenance allocation for all types of schools, from RM1 billion to RM1.5 billion in 2027. This additional funding will cover priority school streams such as national schools, Chinese and Tamil national-type schools, religious schools, tahfiz institutions, pondok schools, and special education.

Anwar emphasized that everyone will receive these additional allocations. The Ministry of Education (MOE) will also visit every district to assess school infrastructure repair needs, ensuring timely identification and addressing of issues. Additionally, the AI for the Rakyat Programme will be opened to 100,000 Malaysian youths aged 18 to 30 from September 1, providing a free three-month subscription to AI applications, including local and international tools.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will allocate RM1 billion to bolster digital efficiency in public health, implementing electronic medical records and internet connectivity in 150 hospitals and over 2,000 clinics. The government will also raise the e-Invoice implementation exemption threshold from RM1 million to RM3 million per year, exempting businesses with annual sales not exceeding RM3 million from compliance.

Further initiatives include an additional RM1 billion in micro-financing facilities, increasing the total fund for 2026 to RM6 billion, and introducing the RM200 million Madani Prosperity Grant to aid hawkers, small traders, night market vendors, and mothers running home-based businesses. These measures were taken into consideration the ongoing cost-of-living pressures and the needs of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).