IPOH, Feb 14 — The RM150 Early Schooling Aid (BAP) per student distributed by the government starting in January allows parents to purchase quality school paraphernalia and facilitates their preparations ahead of the new school term in March.

A check by Bernama at the Canggih Go school clothing store here found that parents are starting to buy school essentials such as uniforms, trousers, shoes, and bags.

Nurul Afiqah Ishak, 31, said the assistance has helped her prepare her nine-year-old son to return to school as a Year Three student, even though she knows that the BAP is insufficient for all her child’s needs.

"BAP helps ease the burden of buying school supplies for my son, including books, uniforms and school shoes. Just today, I spent RM38 to buy him school shoes,” said the mother of two when met by Bernama.

Nurul Afiqah, who is self-employed, said she will use the balance to purchase books and stationery.

Meanwhile, school teacher M. Vasugi, 46, said she would use her money to buy school supplies for her daughters and use BAP to purchase their school items.

"I received BAP on behalf of my children in early February, and undoubtedly, it helps ease the burden of buying school supplies for them. I haven’t used the BAP, but I will also use it later to buy their stationery,” she said.

Similarly, Muhammad Amin Sham, 53, an assistant accountant, mentioned that the BAP will ease his burden of buying school supplies for his four children.

Muhammad Amin is also one of the recipients of a RM200 voucher in the Back To School 2024 programme organised by Canggih Sutera Sdn Bhd in collaboration with the Perak State Secretariat Incorporated (SSI).

"The voucher can be used to buy school supplies for the children while the BAP will be used to pay for the school’s Parent-Teacher Association fees. The remaining BAP will be fully utilised for their school necessities, such as stationery and school books,” said Muhammad Amin.

Fatim Hana Sofian, 39, a financial manager and recipient of the voucher, said that the BAP helps her provide school supplies for her three children.

"The RM150 received for each of my children is used to buy school shoes and bags. Last year’s uniforms are still plentiful and usable. The remaining BAP money will be used to buy stationery, socks and so on. If there is any surplus, we will plan accordingly when school starts,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rozamir Zulkifli, managing director of Canggih Sutera Sdn Bhd, said that the distribution of BAP helps boost their sales while easing the burden on parents, especially those in the B40 group.

The Ministry of Education previously announced that the government had allocated RM788.13 million under Budget 2024 specifically for the BAP, benefiting over 5.25 million students.

Regarding the Back To School 2024 programme, Rozamir stated that this year, they are offering a five per cent discount on school items to several schools that have collaborated with Canggih Go for parents who receive the BAP on behalf of their children.

"This time, we are also offering lucky draws to those who purchase items worth RM200 and above at Canggih Go, with chances to win prizes including motorcycles, bicycles, laptops, and smartphones,” he said. — Bernama