RM150 federal school aid rolled out in Sarawak, benefiting 413,380 students

Mustapha (fifth from left) in a group photo with others during the BAP 2026 presentation at SMK Petra Jaya on Jan 12, 2026.

By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, Jan 12: The RM150 Bantuan Awal Persekolahan or Early Schooling Aid (BAP) for the 2026 school session has started reaching students in Sarawak, with 413,380 pupils in 1,460 schools receiving a total of RM62 million.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said BAP is a once-a-year cash assistance aimed at easing early schooling expenses and ensuring students are able to begin the academic year without financial disruption.

“BAP is a manifestation of the Madani government’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare of students, while strengthening the education sector as the foundation for building future Madani generations.

“Through the distribution of BAP, I am confident that it can help reduce the financial burden on parents and guardians, especially for school-related expenses at the start of the year,” he said when speaking at the BAP 2026 presentation ceremony held at SMK Petra Jaya here today.

Introduced in 2012 as a one-off RM100 cash aid for families earning RM3,000 and below, BAP was expanded in 2023 into a universal assistance, with the rate increased to RM150 per student, regardless of household income.

For the 2026 school session, the Madani government has approved a nationwide allocation of RM794 million, with RM730 million already disbursed to schools starting Jan 8 to enable immediate distribution to students from Year 1 to Form 6 or equivalent.

At SMK Petra Jaya, a total of RM195,450 was allocated, benefiting 1,303 students.

Mustapha also touched on the Sejahtera Madani Initiative, where a total of RM370,000 allocation was distributed to 740 households through Phase 1 education assistance.

This benefit, he said, was received by 370 households at the primary school level and 370 households at the secondary school level who were registered as poor in the eKasih system in Sarawak.

“Recipients at the primary school level will receive a voucher worth RM500 for the purchase of school clothes and equipment.

“Meanwhile, the secondary school level education assistance, which is still in the implementation stage, will also receive benefits at the same value of RM500,” he explained. – DayakDaily