Federal grant cut may force closure of religious schools
Religious schools in rural areas throughout the country may have to cease operation if the federal government continues with its suspension of the per capita grant to them. This will affect thousands of students both at primary and secondary levels
Most of the Sekolah Agama Rakyat ( people's religious school) or SAR are located in remote areas to cater for the children of local villagers who are mostly farmers or fishermen. These schools rely heavily on the federal grant for their daily operation.
The suspension of the federal grant which range from RM60 to RM150 per student will also cause the teachers' salary and allowance to be slashed drastically. Their pay is already very low compared with teachers in government schools.
Similar schools which are located in bigger towns may not have to take such a drastic step but they would feel the heat as the federal grant does help ease their financial burden which includes paying for electricity and water.
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