Kota Kinabalu: A total of RM76 million in Bantuan Awal Persekolahan (BAP) has been allocated for Sabah this year, benefiting 508,631 students in 1,298 schools statewide as the 2026 school session begins.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the assistance of RM150 per student is provided to all eligible pupils regardless of household income, in line with the Federal Government’s policy to widen access to education support.
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“The initiative, implemented through the Ministry of Education (MOE), aims to ease early schooling expenses and reduce the likelihood of students discontinuing their studies due to financial constraints,” he said during the BAP handover ceremony at SMK Bandaraya, Tuesday.
Mustapha said the Budget 2026 approved RM794.25 million for the programme nationwide, with RM730.51 million already disbursed to schools from Jan 8 for distribution to students from Year One to Form Six.
“The back-to-school scheme was introduced in 2012 as a one-off RM100 payment for families with monthly household income of RM3,000 and below.
“In 2023, the assistance was increased to RM150 and extended to all students, following an announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” he said.
Mustapha, also Sepanggar MP, noted that for SMK Bandaraya, which falls under the his parliamentary constituency, RM405,900 was allocated to eligible students this year.
He said education remains a key focus in Sepanggar, with additional programmes implemented alongside BAP, including the Madani Satellite Tuition Programme for Form Four and Form Five students at SMK Bandaraya and SMK Telipok, as well as free tuition classes under the Tuisyen Anak Madani initiative.
He emphasised that financial assistance for Sepanggar students pursuing studies at public and private higher education institutions, as well as pre-university programmes, is ongoing.
“The Madani Excellent Student Awards for SPM and STPM candidates, introduced in 2023, also continue,” Mustapha said.
Separately, Mustapha said 2,000 Sabah students categorised as poor and hardcore poor are receiving assistance under the Sejahtera Madani Initiative, with an allocation of RM740,000.
“The support covers tuition fees, tutoring, learning equipment and other education-related needs, and is implemented by the Prime Minister’s Department (ICU) in Sabah,” he said.
He said the combined measures reflect the Government’s approach to supporting students at different levels of the education system, particularly in Sabah.
