The Education Ministry will proceed with its free breakfast programme for national schools, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
However, the prime minister and acting education minister said this will now be available only to eligible students.
“We will continue the programme, but it will be focused on those who cannot afford it only,” said Dr Mahathir.
“Giving breakfast to all means that those who have money, who are rich, who eat at home, get it too. That’s not fair,” he told reporters today.
The scheme was among those Maszlee Malik introduced prior to his resignation as the education minister and is due to start on January 20.
Previously, the Education Ministry said that the free breakfast programme for primary school children would be conducted in phases and at the same time focusing on students whose parents are categorised under the bottom 40 (B40) group.
Estimated to cost billions of ringgit, the programme triggered questions about the ministry’s priorities for its education spending.