THE new rates for the Supplementary Meal Plan (RMT) for needy students in primary schools, increased from RM2.50 to RM3.50 in Peninsular Malaysia and RM3 to RM4 in Sabah, Sarawak as well as the Federal Territory of Labuan, will come into effect on Sunday.

In a statement today, Senior Education Minister Dr Radzi Jidin said the new rates will benefit 791,477 students nationwide.

“Alhamdulillah, the Education Ministry’s (MOE) efforts to raise the RMT rates can be implemented this year.

“This is among my commitments in ensuring quality food under the RMT for students,” he said in a posting on his official Facebook today.

He said the new rates would also ease the burden of school canteen operators who provide the RMT.

“The MOE is committed to doing its best for the sustainability of education for the country’s future generation,” he added.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, when tabling Budget 2023 last month, said the government had allocated a total of RM777 million, which is a significant increase compared to RM280 million in 2020, to implement the new RMT rates. – Bernama, November 3, 2022.