26th October 2026 - 3 min read
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tabled Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat on 9 October. It includes more school aid, a new allowance for Form Six students, and more support for pupils with special needs.
These come on top of the pause on PTPTN repayments for lower-income borrowers announced in the same Budget. All of them are planned for 2027.
Updated 26 October: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said on 25 October that Form Six students will get the RM2,500 allowance in three payments over three semesters, starting in Semester 1 of 2027. Payments begin once registration for all Form Six students is complete. The ministry hasn’t said how the RM2,500 is split, which averages to more than RM800 a semester.
Early Schooling Assistance (Bantuan Awal Persekolahan, or BAP) goes up from RM150 to RM200 per pupil for the 2027 school year. The government expects 5.3 million pupils to receive it.
It’s a one-off payment to help parents pay for things like uniforms, shoes, and stationery before school starts. It will be handed out at schools so that parents can meet their children’s teachers face to face.
Pupils with special educational needs get more help too. Their monthly allowance goes up from RM150 to RM200, covering 150,000 pupils, including autistic children. Over a full year, that’s RM2,400 per child, or RM600 more than at the old rate, assuming the allowance is paid for all 12 months.
Form Six students will get a RM2,500 cost-of-living allowance in 2027, with 90,000 students expected to receive it. Eligible matriculation students already get RM1,250 a semester, or RM2,500 over two semesters.
If your child is choosing between Form Six and matriculation after SPM, the total allowance is RM2,500 for both. Form Six pays it over three semesters from Semester 1 of 2027, after registration is complete, while matriculation pays it over two.
From year of assessment 2027, schools can use more of the money in their public donation fund, the Tabung Sumbangan Wang Awam Sekolah (TSUWAS). Until now, the fund covered student development and welfare projects. It will now also cover the school’s operating costs, repairs and maintenance, equipment, and student programmes.
Parents, former students, and members of the public who give cash to the fund can already claim a tax deduction, and that doesn’t change. The deduction is capped at 10% of your aggregate income. Aggregate income is your total income from all sources for the year, before donations and tax reliefs are taken off.
The table sums up the aid and allowances for each child, from primary school to Form Six, with this year’s rates for comparison.
| Aid Or Allowance | 2026 | 2027 |
| Early Schooling Assistance (BAP), one-off per pupil | RM150 | RM200 |
| Special educational needs allowance, per month | RM150 | RM200 |
| Form Six cost-of-living allowance | None | RM2,500 |
A family with four children in school will get RM800 in Early Schooling Assistance before the 2027 school year, up from RM600 this year. The exact 2027 payment dates have not been announced yet, so look out for notices from your child’s school.
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As a creative content writer, Eloise has covered finance, business, lifestyle topics, and even moonlights as a singer-songwriter outside of RinggitPlus. Her current interests are learning the best ways to optimise spending and credit card hacks to gain more airline miles.
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