Azmi Bujang showing the school uniform voucher.

KUCHING: The state government has increased its allocation for School Uniform Assistance Programme through Yayasan Sarawak as the implementing agency from RM1 million to RM2 million.

This means from this year onwards, instead of receiving RM100, about 20,000 students benefiting from the programme will be receiving RM200 each.

Yayasan Sarawak director Azmi Bujang said the purpose of the aid was to ensure that needy students could go to school looking smart and proper.

“The aid is for the parents to get school uniform, shoes and bags for the identified students. When they look good, they will feel more driven to go to school.”

He thus urged parents to spend the money on the designated purpose so that students entitled to the aid would be keen to go to school.

On the implementation of the programme, Azmi said the agency has been experimenting different ways to find out the most effective method to distribute the aid and to ensure the aid reached the needy students.

“Since 2000, we had tried different ways including centralised tender, direct awarding and disperse through NGOs and other means. And all the different ways we tried out gave us problems such as unfit sizes and poor quality.

“So this year, the agency has decided to use the voucher method where the RM200-vouchers will be given to identified students through Resident’s and district offices under the supervision of the state assemblymen of the various areas.

“It is thus a collaborative effort between Resident’s and district offices, Bank Simpanan Nasional, the State Development Office, the Education Department as well as the state assemblymen of the areas.

“The elected assemblymen of the areas may choose to hold a proper function to give away the vouchers or they may decide to just do it quietly. Whichever way, Yayasan Sarawak officers will be there to give support,” Azmi told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Azmi said Yayasan Sarawak has made all arrangements including issuing and distributing the vouchers as well as parking the allocation with Bank Simpanan Nasional.

“It is now up to the different Resident’s and district offices as well as the elected representatives of the areas to decide when, where and how to hand over the vouchers to the students,” said Azmi.

He said the vouchers could be used in any part of Sarawak in outlets identified by Yayasan Sarawak which included some huge franchise establishments and chain stores such as Giant, Boulevard and Mydin as well as other smaller private businesses in the more rural areas.

“The vouchers can be used in more than 70 business outlets throughout the state,” said Azmi.