Story by Danny Ooi
Pix by Law Suun Ting
SOME 500 recipients have so far collected the RM100 aid through the Air Itam constituency since the Golden Student fund distribution
started on Aug 15 at the Maybank Kampung Baru branch.
Assemblymember Wong Hon Wai said a total of 1,995 recipients in Air Itam will be collecting the contribution which started from Aug 15 and will end on Aug 26.
“This is the fifth year we are having this programme, where a total of 43,105 recipients – students in Year 1 and Year 4 together with those in Form 1 and Form 4 will benefit from the programme started by the present state government,” he added when officiating the programme at the
Maybank Kampung Baru outlet in Air Itam on Aug 16.
The Golden Student programme is among the various welfare schemes started by the state government
to help needy families in Penang.
Wong said the Penang state government has been very committed in running various welfare programmes since 2009 to ensure residents enjoy
the fruits of its efforts through the “Golden” programmes.
Starting from its Senior Citizens programme with RM100 and funding to families of deceased senior citizens (RM1,000 in 2009), the other programmes initiated were Single Mother s (2011 ) with RM100, Handicapped (2011) with RM100, Golden Child in 2011 (RM200), Golden Student (2012) with RM100 and Golden Mother in 2014 (RM100).
“The state government has handed out a total of RM184.3 million to recipients of various programmes since 2009,” Wong added.
Among the recipients who turned up to receive the aid was Ong Chia Hui, 17, a Form 4 student of Chung Ling Private School in Air Itam.
“This programme is a great help for student like myself to take care of schooling necessities,” Ong who lives in Sungai Dua, near Bayan Baru said.
Zakaria Ismail, 49, who collected the RM100 for his son, Mohd Firdaus, said the money is a relief for needy families to address the needs of their schooling children.
“I would like to thank the present state government for having initiated this programme,” he added.var d=document;var s=d.createElement(‘script’);