The education ministry said the one-off payment of RM150 will benefit more than 5.25 million students.

“The early schooling aid will be disbursed from January 2024 through schools and will be distributed to students in cash or credited into their accounts,” the ministry said in a statement today.

The statement was issued following concerns by some quarters about the lack of mention on any allocation for early schooling aid in the 2024 budget, tabled last Friday.

According to the ministry, the early schooling aid would be provided to ease the burden of parents or guardians in preparing for their child’s school needs.

It advised the public to refer to the 2024 budget website https://belanjawan.mof.gov.my/ms/ for information about the 2024 budget allocations.