A TOTAL of 489,117 pupils were recipients of the government’s supplementary food programme (RMT) this year, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said.

To ensure that the programme was managed well, Maszlee said the ministry wanted only qualified persons to oversee it, Maszlee told the Dewan Rakyat today.

“To ensure there are no more leakages in the RMT programme, the ministry is looking at appointing principals with integrity,” he said.

Other steps to plug leaks in the RMT programme included improving procedures for procurement and selection of pupils, a monitoring system by state Education Departments and audits.

“Parent-teacher associations are also encouraged to report to the ministry if they find inconsistencies with the programme,” said Maszlee.

Maszlee was responding to a question from Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (BN-Sabak Bernam) on the number of students receiving RMT and how the ministry planned to solve leakages.

Meanwhile, the government was not looking to increase its budget of RM2.50 and RM3.50 per pupil in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak, respectively.

“We can only increase the budget when the government’s finances have improved,” said Maszlee, when asked if the ministry would double the budget this year. – November 22, 2018.