KUCHING – The verification process for the Sarawak Special Assistance Fund (Bantuan Khas Kerajaan – BKK) has experienced delays due to an overwhelming number of applications — totalling 42,000 to date.
Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development, Datuk Anwar Rabaie, said the aid involves financial disbursements, and the process must be handled with care to ensure only truly deserving students receive the assistance.
“We want to avoid giving the aid to those who are not eligible, but we also must ensure that those in real need are not left out,” he said during the TCS–Yayasan Taqwa Education Aid Award and Thanksgiving Ceremony on Friday.
He added that the requirement for a supporting letter from each applicant’s university has also contributed to the processing time. As this is the first year of implementation, Datuk Anwar noted, it will take time to adapt and streamline the system.
“In the future, returning students won’t need to repeat the verification. It will apply only to new applicants,” he said.
To accommodate the large volume of applicants, the deadline — originally set for June 1, 2025 — has been extended to June 30, 2025.
In response to scepticism from certain quarters calling the aid programme an “empty promise,” Datuk Anwar firmly refuted the claims.
“This is not a scam. The fund is real and it will be distributed,” he stressed.
The BKK aid programme offers RM1,200 annually, disbursed in two RM600 installments per semester, via the SPay Global platform. All eligible Sarawakian students enrolled in public or private universities across Malaysia are encouraged to apply. Students in Peninsular Malaysia can receive funds via their DuitNow-linked accounts.
