To uplift and develop national education, the Malaysian government has allocated a total of RM70.5 billion under Belanjawan 2023

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Belanjawan 2023: Malaysia MADANI introduced new initiatives while improving on current ones with the goal of benefiting Malaysians. One important way Belanjawan 2023 is helping Malaysians is by improving the education sector. As such, the Malaysian government has allocated a total of RM70.5 billion to uplift and develop the national education system.

So, let’s look at how the Belanjawan 2023 budget is being used to help Malaysians achieve a higher standard of education while reducing some of the financial burdens on students and parents.

Pre-school and primary education

Under Belanjawan 2023, the Ministry of Education received the highest allocation at RM55.2 billion for improving the system and quality of pre-school and primary education. This is an increase from the previous year’s RM52.5 billion budget.

Moreover, RM2.3 billion from that budget will be solely used to ensure all schools have the best possible infrastructure and learning facilities.

1. RM920 million will be spent on upgrading 380 dilapidated schools, including Sabah and Sarawak.
2. Maintenance for all types of schools across the country will be carried out through an allocation of RM900 million.
3. RM560 million out of the RM2.3 billion will be used to build a total of seven new primary and secondary schools in Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu, and Selangor.
4. Rancangan Makanan Tambahan (RMT) sees a budget increase from RM625 million to RM777 million, benefiting around 700,000 students across the country.
5. Bantuan Makan Prasekolah (BMP) under the Ministry of Education will now have a budget of RM108 million, up from RM89 million.
6. Schools and educational institutions under the MOE will receive a total of 50,000 laptops to aid teachers with teaching and learning. RM38 million has been allocated for this initiative.
7. Tax relief of up to RM3,000 for parents who enrol their children aged up to 6 years old in TASKA registered with the Social Welfare Department or TADIKA registered with the MOE has been extended for another year.
8. The government will invest RM6.7 billion into TVET through 7 main ministries.

Higher Education

To help Malaysians further their education so they may have a chance of earning a higher income and potentially contributing to Malaysia’s development to become a first-class country, the government will be raising the budget for higher education as well.

For 2023, RM15.3 billion will be allocated to the Ministry of Higher Education, compared to RM14.5 billion in 2022.

1. Public tertiary institutions will receive a total of RM436 million to repair infrastructure and replace outdated equipment that is no longer deemed economical.
2. With eLearning being an important factor in education, Internet facilities need to be upgraded. Therefore, RM35 million will be provided to MYREN to improve internet connectivity in higher education institutions.
3. MOHE and MOSTI will receive a total of RM428 million to carry out important R&D activities. Besides that, MOHE will receive an additional RM50 million to promote translational R&D that addresses community and industry issues, while MOSTI receives an additional RM15 million in R&D grants for the production of national vaccines.
4. Through MARA, Yayasan Peneraju and University Teknologi MARA, RM6.6 billion is provided to Bumiputera children, allowing access to education loans and opportunities to pursue professional fields.
5. RM300 million is directed to the upgrading and maintenance of public universities.
6. Students pursuing higher education abroad will have additional help from the government to secure internship opportunities in the students’ countries of study. The government will coordinate with foreign multinational companies and allow them to serve their scholarship bonds with said companies.
7. From 1^st March 2023 until 31^st May 2023, the government offered discounts of up to 20% on PTPTN loan repayments. Additionally, applications can be made to defer repayment for a period of 6 months for those earning a monthly income of RM1,800 and below.
8. Skills Development Fund Corporation (PTPK) is a body that offers loan financing to school leavers who are interested in continuing their studies in either private or public TVET institutions across the country. This body will be receiving financial assistance from the government of RM180 million.

All Education Levels

The government will be standardising the stamp duty rates for education loans and scholarship agreements to just RM10, regardless of if it’s for a certificate, professional, diploma, or any other level in between.

Now that you are more aware of what is being done and offered by the government in the education sector, you can seize any opportunities that are eligible for you. Whether it’s getting a discount on your PTPTN loan repayment or tax relief if you have kids in early education, every little money saved can go a long way in helping to ease your financial burden.

The government is always committed when providing help to those who need it the most. You can find out more about all the initiatives under Belanjawan 2023 and many more measures offered by the government to the rakyat through its official website.