‘Jualan Rahmah’ for school necessities proposed
KOTA KINABALU: Information chief of Parti Warisan,(Warisan) Wirawati, Izzatul Aini, has proposed to the government to introduce ‘Jualan Rahmah’ for school necessities, while the amount of Bantuan Awal Persekolahan (BAP) to be reviewed.
She said this on Saturday after looking at the situation where parents need to spend more this month following the school session that was scheduled to reopen next Monday.
“Today, I accompanied several primary and secondary school children to make purchases for their school supplies in preparation for the upcoming 2024-2025 school session.
“Based on observations and feedback received by the public, the issue of rising prices also affects school items such as shoes, bags, uniforms, exercise books and so forth. Therefore, I feel it is necessary and I would like to propose to the Madani Government to organise a “Jualan Rahmah” specifically for school necessities.
“The expenses borne by parents to enable their children to return to school vary, with those in the primary school requiring larger expenditures compared to those in the secondary school.
“Hence, I suggest that the BAP should be adjusted according to the needs of students, whether they are in primary or secondary school,” she said.
Izzatul also said she had also noticed that parents are more inclined to use the RM150 BAP to pay various school entrance fees in Putatan, and this amount is insufficient.
She added many parents are facing challenges in providing for their families and children even more so during the month of Ramadan, including preparations for iftar, school re-entry, and early preparations for Hari Raya, which all falls in the same month.
Therefore, Izzatul said it is also crucial for the State Government to be sensitive to and consider these matters.
“The State Government also needs to ensure that the Koperasi Serbaguna Sanya Berhad (KOSAN) is strengthened and financially capable to assist parents who are facing economic challenges, especially in providing quality school uniforms comparable to those available in the market.
“The State Government should also take proactive steps to set up a complaint portal in order to allow parents to lodge complaints related to these school assistance programmes, such as instances where school uniform aid is distributed for only 2/3 of the school year, and the quality and sizing are inadequate.
“The provision of this school uniform aid is realised through contributions from taxpayers and duties in this State, especially with the Service Sales Tax (SST) raised to eight per cent,” she added.
Therefore, Izzatul pointed out that it is essential for all of us to ensure that the children of Sabah receive quality school uniform assistance for their comfort during their learning sessions.