Pemberian Baucar Buku 1Malaysia (BB1M)

Refer to this from Treasury website for details on the RM200 book voucher. The vouchers will be distributed by the schools/colleges/universities. All the bookstores are encouraged to participate and they can claim back via BSN. However I wonder which are the bookstores that actually will participate though. The vouchers are valid from 1 January through 31 March 2012.

This link has FAQ on the BB1M and also FAQ on the BR1M. Check it for eligibility:
http://www.treasury.gov.my/pdf/bajet/FAQs_BELANJAWAN_2012.pdf

Update: Looks like major bookstores like Popular and MPH accept the BB1M vouchers. MPH just advertised they are giving RM5 book voucher for every RM100 nett purchase.

Celebration

When it comes to special events like concerts, graduations, weddings, festivities like Christmas and Chinese New Year and even birthdays. Every seller wants a piece of the celebration pie. Unknowingly, some parents' spending for children tend to go overboard, and we didn't realize it until we do a tally of our spending.

Especially for the school holidays, I find it getting harder and harder to hold our budget together. It is easier during the usual school days when the activities are fixed and we stay at home most of the time. Little princess spend a good 6 hours at school with at least 30 minutes on the road travelling back and from home.  Little prince spend about 5 hours at school or slightly more if he goes early. But with more free hours during the holiday, we're finding it easier to succumb to our wants. It does take a lot of willpower to hold back from spending more. Suddenly there is a need to have breakfast at McDonalds' or KFC. Dinner or lunch out seem more delicious than what we cook. If we go for short trip, everything's about convenience, and that comes at a price. No wonder the King didn't want to travel so much with the family. In fact, eating out is really expensive, one adder is the service tax that had been increased from 5% to 6% effective 1 January 2011. All these fancy places you see are all charging for the nice furnishings and comfortable ambient. Even going grocery shopping to hypermarkets like Tesco and Giant, we tend to spend more liberally to enjoy some special foods during school holidays.

Something I can still be insistant on, is not spending on things I don't deem as important. Such as for children's concert, we were requested to look for dresses, shoes, hair accessories. I don't mind paying a little for the occasion but do not ask me to go scouting all over the place for something that might not even be used in the occasion.       

Uses of the RM100 student cash aid

If you are from well-to-do family, do you decline the government's offer of the RM100 student cash aid? Would like to suggest that this amount to be donated to the school after accepting the aid if you do not need it. After all, the school that your child goes to is the one who nurtures and educate them. In fact, why not top-up more donation to the school next year as donation to school are going to be tax deductable in 2012 (base on Budget 2012). Definitely the school will appreciate any kind of donation especially the SJK(C)'s.

Got the RM100 student aid

Little princess told us to go to her school to give our signature. However when asked what is it that teacher wanted, she is not able to elaborate. When the Boss went to her school, he was told it's the RM100 student aid. Parents have to sign accept or reject for primary school (I think). So far, all the parents he saw accepted the aid. Definitely any help for school will be welcomed ya. The cash aid for students is disbursed through school for Year 1 to Form 5 students. For those starting Year 1 in 2012, they will get the RM100 student aid later. Heard that secondary school students just get a memo and the RM100 is passed to them. Most school would have completed giving out the student aid by now as it's last day of school!

RM100 student aid to be disbursed soon

Saw news article from Sin Chew here: http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/226122?tid=1
Seems that the RM100 student aid will be disbursed via school and parents/guardians need to sign no matter they consent to receiving the student aid or not. According to the news article in Mandarin is 接受或拒絕都須簽名. We have not receive any notification yet, so still waiting for information from princess' school. Only one more week before school holidays so hope the process will be smooth. For those who are going to Year 1 next year, seems like they will get the RM100 student aid only when school reopens.

PTPTN might not provide living expenses?

News on TV and online had chairman from PTPTN saying they might not provide loan including living expenses in the future. It's still in discussion stage with the Government (which Ministry?, not very clear in the article) and the PTPTN highlighted many borrowers did not pay their loan, thus it's limiting their ability to provide full loan to future students.

I hope PTPTN will reconsider as students do really need help with living expenses as well so that they can concentrate fully on their studies. Especially nowadays a lot of studying opportunities are away from home and thus living expenses loan is big help. I would hope my children would get loans that includes living expenses as they might study at a place away from home in the future. With inflation shooting up (not creeping, mind ya), we middle-class parents need as much help as possible. After all, we are a sandwich generation that needs to take care of elderly family members and also the children (not one child, typical families have 2 or more children nowadays). It's not only the low-income group that needs help.

Penang to give RM100 to students for standard 1, standard 4, form 1 and form 4

The news article link here and here. Very glad to have this news as it will help the parents in Penang. Aid will start from next year, 2012. Now I wonder how to get it? :)

RM100 student aid via school?

There's a news coverage by the TV stations that DPM said they will use BSN to disburse the RM100 per student aid to the schools, and the schools will then distribute to students. Makes one wonder how it will happen. No further official annoucements were made on it though. Again, "to be determined". Not that we are waiting for the student aid, but curious about this carrot. There's report that parents can even "opt out". I hope parents don't opt out as it's the only thing that middle class parents with school-going children can get. Even if you're well-to-do, might as well get it and donate it to the needy students instead of 益 the big guys, right?

And the aid will be available in December to be in time for back-to-school next year. Continue to wait for "to-be-determined" news.

Update 24 Oct:  http://www.thesundaily.my/news/187525. Seems like parents will be invited to school to get the aid money. I hope we do get our letter. Oh and the remark made about using the aid for example new mobile phone purchase is totally out of line. Are the IQ of people in this country  so low until have to mention this aid is not meant for buying new mobile phones?? Alamak!

Article in The Star: Will You Take The RM100

This article in The Star got me fuming. Yes I would take the RM100 for school children, and why not? We had been diligently paying income tax since started working. The question is, how we are going to get it - will there be long forms to fill, will we have to queue at the appointed bank BSN, is there a due date as we are all busy people? There are so many open ended questions and details are so vague. And will it even be in time for the new school year? Maybe the writer doesn't have school going children or he leaves all the management to the Missus. Even if the school fees of RM24.50 is waived (primary, don't remember the secondary school fees as no child in secondary school yet), there are other fees like computer class fees and payment for extra workbooks for those in Chinese medium school. Perhaps those in Sekolah Kebangsaan don't have to purchase extra workbooks (don't know of anyone close whose child goes to sekolah kebangsaan so not sure of this). After all this "work" to get the RM100, it's only for 2012. It's only a one-off payment, remember?? Let's wait for HOW to get the RM100 specifically.

For those middle class folks whose children are not yet in primary, secondary school or college/university, they really do not get anything. Those who only have babies, or kindy going children next year, life goes on as usual without any goodies. Book voucher of RM200 for college students, let's keep our fingers crossed over how it will be implemented.

Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional (SSPN) update

This announcement is from PTPTN website regarding SSPN:

From 1st January 2012, students that want to apply PTPTN education financing is COMPULSORY to have SSPN account with minimum savings as much as RM20.00.

Public encouraged to make SSPN account opening in Maybank counter to facilitate and accelerate account opening. SSPN account balance's check in the next day can be done in PTPTN website for account opening in Maybank ONLY.        

My thoughts:
Geez, the "running" display of their announcement really make my eyesight go haywire. Wonder why they specifically mention Maybank and why they need applicants to have a SSPN account first? How are the students going to close the account if they failed to get the loan? I couldn't find any information from PTPTN website yet further elaborating this requirement. We only go for SSPN due to the tax deduction incentive.