IPOH, May 16 — The government has increased the allocation for works procurement under the Ministry of Education (MOE) from RM400 million to RM900 million, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the increase is, among others, to fund the construction of additional classrooms in preparation for the rise in Year One enrolment starting next year.

“…I previously announced an allocation of RM400 million for the construction of 2,500 additional classrooms in more than 800 schools under Budget 2026. So, to ensure sufficient classroom space for Year One pupils, the government has approved additional funding.

“So I am announcing that the government has approved an additional allocation, from the RM400 million previously announced to RM900 million for 6,000 classrooms,” he said in his speech at a meeting with Bumiputera small contractors at the Perak State Education Complex here today.

Also present were Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, and Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.

Meanwhile, Anwar said the government remains committed to supporting Bumiputera small contractors, with works procurement allocations being realigned in response to the global supply crisis.

“In Budget 2026, RM2.4 billion was allocated specifically for small contractors in the G1 to G4 categories. This has been increased to RM4 billion for 2026 through a reallocation of government funds,” he said.

He also gave an assurance that small contractors with good performance will continue to be awarded projects to enable them to grow further.

“However, I ask for an assurance from these small contractors that they will deliver and implement the projects to the best of their ability.

“I can only say that if performance is good, in line with the expected performance targets, I will give greater focus to help you so that you do not remain small contractors forever,” he said.

The Prime Minister also said that despite the global supply crisis, spending on essential and critical sectors would not be reduced, and would instead be considered for increases based on needs, including in the education sector.

“First of all, I want to say that when we reduce expenditure, some say we are not prioritising welfare and health. Do not be quick to judge before knowing the facts.

“Let me explain, these allocations are always distributed…these additional projects are not being cut; they are being prioritised where necessary,” he said.

At the event, Anwar presented 100 letters of acceptance to contractors for the construction of additional classrooms. — Bernama

IPOH, May 16 — The government will continue to review and consider increasing allocations to the Ministry of Education (MOE) from time to time, including efforts to strengthen digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said budget allocations will be increased in line with the current needs of the national education sector.

“In my meeting with the Ministry of Finance earlier this week, we also discussed education, as we are now placing emphasis on digitalisation, AI, computing, STEM and so on.

“We have decided to review all requirements so that, in this year’s budget, we can further increase expenditure and approvals for the MOE,” he said when launching the national-level Teachers’ Day celebration here today.

Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, and Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.

In addition, Anwar said the Madani Government has implemented various initiatives for teachers’ welfare, including maintenance and upgrading of teachers’ rooms in 3,500 schools.

“Teachers’ rooms have been upgraded and maintained to accommodate the growing number of teachers. We have carried out maintenance on 7,000 teachers’ rooms,” he said.

He said following the policy of admitting Year One pupils aged six starting from the 2027 school session, the government had approved the recruitment of an additional 3,150 teachers.

Anwar said more than 4,000 teacher quarters have been maintained, and a total of 8,700 quarters are expected to be maintained through additional government allocations.

Earlier, Fadhlina announced an additional RM100 million for the maintenance and upgrading of teachers’ rooms nationwide, as well as RM50 million for the maintenance of teacher quarters. — Bernama

 

IPOH, May 16 — The Ministry of Education (MOE) today announced 12 initiatives to empower and strengthen the role of teachers in conjunction with the 55th national-level Teachers’ Day celebration this year.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the Google Certified Educator (GCE) Level 1 and Level 2 certification courses would continue to be offered free of charge to all teachers to support their professional development in digital literacy.

She said the initiative would benefit teachers nationwide, with the ministry bearing the cost of RM40 per teacher for GCE Level 1 and RM100 per teacher for GCE Level 2.

Fadhlina also said the ministry would offer a special Federal Training Award to teachers serving in schools in hardship areas including hospital classes, floating schools and rural schools in P1, P2 and P3 areas.

“They will be selected to pursue Master’s and PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) programmes to ensure that our aspirations are achieved, particularly in enabling them to continue serving, while their studies will help them to continue contributing to the profession,” she said at the celebration themed ‘Guru Bitara Nadi Negara’, officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here today. — Bernama

 

IPOH, May 15 — Transfer applications involving teachers seeking placement closer to their spouses remain among the key priorities in safeguarding teachers’ welfare, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.

She said the ministry has taken several steps to improve the handling of teacher welfare cases, including reducing the waiting period for transfer applications.

“We are very empathetic and take into account all situations faced by our teachers.

“For cases involving long-distance spouses, the Ministry of Education gives priority. About 80 per cent of transfer applications are related to spouse-distance cases, and we have resolved many of these,” she said.

She said this at a press conference after attending the 55th national-level Teachers’ Day Awards ceremony held at the Kinta Riverfront Hotel here.

Fadhlina added that the ministry has also introduced improvements to speed up the process, allowing eligible applications to be considered within a shorter timeframe compared with previous years.

She admitted that the transfer processes could take a longer period in the past, but the ministry has since introduced more flexible measures, including a two-year consideration period for certain applications.

She said remaining cases are also assessed based on health and safety factors.

“We understand the situation very well, and we take all applications into account. Our aim is to ensure the welfare of teachers is always prioritised,” she added.

IPOH, May 15 — The Ministry of Education has filled 50 vacant posts for headmasters and principals nationwide as part of efforts to strengthen school leadership and ensure smooth school administration.

Its Minister, Fadhlina Sidek, said the ministry views the issue seriously, stressing that schools cannot function effectively without strong leadership.

She said strong leadership is crucial in implementing school reforms, ensuring safety, and managing daily school operations.

“Schools would not be able to build a proper ecosystem without strong leadership, making it crucial for the ministry to take swift action in filling vacant positions.

“Therefore, the ministry takes this matter seriously and has taken immediate steps to fill these vacancies so that issues, including safety concerns and others, can be addressed promptly,” she said.

She said this at a press conference after attending the 55th national-level Teachers’ Day Awards ceremony held at the Kinta Riverfront Hotel here.

She said the appointments involved schools in every state and took effect immediately.

“Today, we have completed the appointments of headmasters and principals for schools in every state. These appointments take effect starting today, meaning they can continue with their administrative duties at their respective schools,” she said.

Fadhlina said that while about 50 posts were initially vacant, the ministry would continue to monitor the situation and fill any remaining gaps promptly.

“There are still vacancies, and we will ensure they are filled from time to time as quickly as possible,” she said.

She also said that the ministry had instructed senior officials to urgently review and resolve the matter, describing it as a priority requiring immediate attention.

“Therefore, I have asked the ministry’s director-general and chief secretary to review our commitment to resolving these issues quickly,” she said.