Anwar said the initiative would cover secondary school students under the education ministry, and tertiary students under the higher education ministry.

“I told the finance ministry that although it is (costly), this book voucher programme must remain a priority,” he said when officiating the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair at World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur today.

Present were education minister Fadhlina Sidek and higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Anwar reminded all ministries, particularly the education and higher education ministries, to take a serious view of the economic challenges arising from the ongoing global energy crisis.

He said that while ministry officials must be aware of the country’s current economic standing, the quality of education in schools and universities must remain unchanged.

The government announced book vouchers for about 400,000 teachers last year.

In 2024, a RM100 book voucher programme was rolled out for primary school pupils from Year Four onwards, secondary school students and tertiary students.