The Ministry of Education said the increase reflected the government’s commitment to restore the original objective of these schools, that is to help children from poor households who excel in their studies.

It said out of a total of 9,350 students who were accepted into boarding schools in 2019, about 52% or 4,888 are from the lower income group.

“All students from the lower income group with excellent results have been accepted,” the statement said.

Apart from academic results, applicants were evaluated based on their physical and curriculum activities.

The ministry said it had received 77,487 applications to enter boarding schools next year.

Prior to taking over the government, Dr Mahathir Mohamad lamented that boarding schools had deviated from their original purpose to help poor students whose home environments were not conducive for school work.

“Full residential schools existed to help the poor who did not have proper amenities at home for the children to do their homework,” the Pakatan Harapan chairman had said in his weekly policy briefing in March.

“Children from rural or poorer families often fared differently in school as they lived in an environment that did not allow them to do their revision at home.”

SBP was established in 1957 to offer educational opportunities, especially to students in rural areas.