PM Anwar Ibrahim Announces RM1.5B School Maintenance Allocation and Six Immediate Relief Measures

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 30 — The government will increase the maintenance allocation for all categories of schools by 50 percent, raising the total funding from RM1 billion to RM1.5 billion in 2027, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced today.

Delivering the National Day Prime Address at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), Anwar stated that the enhanced allocation will cover all priority school streams, including national schools, Chinese and Tamil national-type schools, religious schools, tahfiz institutions, pondok schools, and special education facilities. To fast-track necessary upgrades, the Ministry of Education will begin nationwide district-level field assessments next month to inspect infrastructure applications ahead of next year.

Anwar, who also serves as Finance Minister, announced that the AI for the Rakyat Programme will open on Sept 1 to 100,000 Malaysian youths aged 18 to 30. Youth participants who complete the required modules will receive a free three-month subscription to leading artificial intelligence applications. In the public health sector, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will provide RM1 billion to implement electronic medical record systems and establish internet connectivity across 150 hospitals and over 2,000 public health clinics to reduce patient waiting times.

To ease operational costs for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the government has raised the e-Invoice implementation exemption threshold from RM1 million to RM3 million in annual sales. Furthermore, the government is expanding micro-financing facilities by adding RM1 billion, raising the total fund for 2026 from RM5 billion to RM6 billion, while introducing the RM200 million MADANI Prosperity Grant to support hawkers, night market vendors, and home-based entrepreneurs.

Anwar emphasized that while Budget 2027 will be tabled later this year, immediate intervention was required to address immediate economic pressures on households and businesses.

“Therefore, on the eve of independence, I am compelled to find a way, take steps, and announce something that can provide temporary relief to you, school children, youths, housewives, and mothers through today’s announcements,” he said.

The six immediate relief measures taking effect on Sept 1, 2026, also include restoring the BUDI95 basic monthly fuel quota from 200 to 300 litres, reinforcing the administration’s policy to channel economic growth directly back to the public.

–NMT