Budget 2027 has doubled school maintenance and repair funding to RM2 billion, while nearly RM1.3 billion has been allocated to upgrade 682 dilapidated schools, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak. (File pic) PETALING JAYA: Experts have welcomed Budget 2027’s RM2 billion allocation for school repairs and maintenance, but urged the education ministry to channel the bulk of its RM69 billion budget towards strengthening teaching and learning.

Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim welcomed the doubling of school maintenance funding from last year but warned that physical infrastructure alone will not resolve the deeper problems facing Malaysian schools.

“Fixing our schools requires looking beyond brick and mortar,” she told FMT.