KUALA LUMPUR: Primary and secondary education received a RM30 billion shot in the arm under the 2010 Budget, and is expected to benefit some 5.5 million schoolchildren nationwide.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the allocation included emoluments amount-ing to RM19 billion, student assistance and scholarships (RM2.8 billion); the construction of 80 new schools as well as 1,100 additional blocks and 347 school replacement projects (RM1.6 billion).
He said the allocation would include the construction of national primary and secondary schools, government-aided religious schools, national-type Chinese and Tamil schools and mission schools.
"In addition, a sum of RM1.1 billion would be provided to refurbish and upgrade schools nationwide, especially in Sabah and Sarawak," he said in his speech in Parliament yesterday.
Najib said the government intended to reward those who excelled in their studies.
He said his administration would award national scholarships to 30 of the best students based on merit.
The scholarship recipients would further their education in world renowned universities, he added.
From next year, he said the government would convert National Education Fund Corporation loans to scholarships for students who graduated with a first class honours degree or its equivalent.
For students aged 13 and above, the government would provide a 50 per cent discount for long-distance journeys on Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd.
"A complimentary 1Malay-sia student discount card may be obtained from KTMB. This discount will begin on Jan 1 next year."
To provide undergraduates easier access to the Internet, the government will offer a Netbook computer package that includes free broadband connection to university students for RM50 per month for two years. This package, Najib said, was cheaper than the current market price.
"Priority will be given to first year students and those from low-income families.
"For a start, this package will be offered by Telekom Malaysia to the top 100,000 local university students effective Jan 1 next year."
Najib said the government had identified four sub-components to the national key result area of widening access to quality and affordable education.
The first is to strengthen pre-school education with a RM48 million allocation; second is to increase the literacy and numeracy rate (RM32 million) and third to create high-performance schools (SBT) by recognising 20 schools as SBT next year (RM20 million).
Under the fourth sub-component, the government will recognise the contributions of school principals and head teachers with the introduction of a New Deal or Bai'ah. This will be in the form of monetary and non-monetary incentives including autonomy in school administration.
The prime minister said public higher learning institutions were expected to be granted greater autonomy in managing their finances, human resources, administration, student intake and income generation.
He said they would be allowed to form subsidiary companies to generate revenue, but under close supervision from the government to ensure that the universities focus on producing quality human capital.
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