KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah-based civil society group today asked the government to use the allocation meant for the Free Breakfast programme for other urgent matters such as repairing dilapidated schools.
Community Empowerment Initiative Sabah (CEI) said a lot could be done with the RM800 million to RM1.67 billion allocated to implement the free breakfast programme.
During the recent parliamentary sitting, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik had said that the programme was to ensure primary school students were provided with a nutritious meal and promote bonding among pupils and teachers.
"But, we are constantly told that our nation has serious financial constraints. If this is so, we have to get our priorities right in terms of spending.
"By implementing the Free Breakfast programme, it will be a waste of resources for those who don't really need the assistance," CEI said in a statement today.
The group said not all of the 2.7 million of pupils would need assistance with breakfast as some would bring their own food to school.
As for Sabah's multicultural society, CEI said there would be different dietary requirements that needed to be catered to such as vegetarian, gluten free and others.
The group said for those who needed free breakfast, there was already a RM289 million annual budget in place under a food scheme for students from underprivileged families in all schools.
Meanwhile, Sabah Education Ministry has estimated that Sabah needed more than RM3 billion to repair 587 dilapidated schools, including 91 schools which have been declared unsafe.
"In West Malaysia, people complain of schools without air-conditioning or fans. In Sabah, we have schools without power and water supply and hundreds of dilapidated buildings which needed urgent repairs.
"While RM1.67 billion can be allocated for free breakfast programme, only RM783 million is set aside for urgent basic building facilities and amenities for the whole nation?" CEI added.