The government will bring back the RM100 school voucher for students from Grade 4 to university education, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.
However, he said that the voucher will come with a list of recommended books to encourage students to spend money on good books. “(They can use the voucher to buy) famous books from famous authors… I (also want) our children to understand artificial intelligence (AI). We will prepare a list of books for you ,” he said. Anwar also expressed hope that relevant ministries will be able to prepare the voucher distribution format tomorrow.
The initiative was first introduced by the Najib Razak-led Barisan Nasional government in 2016 as the 1Malaysia Book Voucher programme. This is for Form 6 and university students.
This program was discontinued in 2017 and replaced with a student discount card, loaded with RM250. The card also gives students access to discounts on books and textbooks and other educational materials.
In June last year, the late Salahuddin Ayub, who was the Minister of Commerce and Housing, announced that Putrajaya was considering reinstating the discount card pending discussions with the Ministries of Finance and Higher Education. Education. Anwar, who served as education minister in the past, said it is important to educate children to love the pursuit of knowledge despite the amount of information available in the virtual world.
He said that it is the duty of the government to help parents inculcate the culture of reading in their children. Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said the scholarship distribution process will be announced soon, adding that it is “good news” for Malaysians.
He said this plan will reduce the burden on parents and students, especially those on the B40 budget. He also admitted that he was surprised by Anwar’s announcement, especially with the hope that the system would be ready by tomorrow. “But it doesn’t matter, we will get there,” he said.
