An additional RM117 million is needed if the proposal to provide textbooks to all pupils in the primary as well as secondary schools is to be implemented under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP), said Deputy Education Minister Hoon Choon Kim today.

Speaking at the Dewan Rakyat, he said the additional allocation was to cater for the needs of 20 per cent or about one million out of the total number of students who were not eligible for the Textbook Loan Scheme (SPBT).

A total of RM2.6 billion had been spent for the SPBT since it was introduced in 1975 until 2005, he said when replying to Lim Bee Kau (BN-Bagan Serai), he added.

"The projected 2005 SPBT expenditure for utilisation in the year 2006 is RM196 million," he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report.

In addition, he said the move to replace torn textbooks would only be implemented if there were complaints from headmasters or principals on the matter.

Extended air-time

In another development, Radio Television Malaysia (RTM)'s television channel TV2 will increase its broadcast time by three hours to 19 hours daily from May 2.
According to Bernama, Information Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said the extra hours would be filled with various programmes to suit the tastes of the Malaysian public.

With the increased air-time, he added that TV2 would now commence broadcasts from 6am daily instead of 9am as now.

He said viewers will be able to catch a wide variety of attractive programmes before normal broadcasts from 9am to 1am the next day.

Elaborating, Abdul Kadir said the extra time would be used to schedule programmes of a motivational type like Positively A M, which would be broadcast Mondays through Thursdays, for viewers to start the day on the right note.

Others include Kembara Ria Malaysia a travel programme and Body and Soul for the people's wellness. A news and current affairs programme using news agencies, NHK of Japan and Asiavision as sources, will also be slotted in from 7.45 am to 8 am.

Kadir said the increase in the air-time was in line with the re-branding of the station last Aug 20 which aimed at providing value added programmes to loyal viewers.

He added that it was also in line with efforts to make TV2 truly a channel to strengthen the family institution and society so that Malaysians continued to be progressive, dynamic and lived harmoniously.

Breaking news

In a written parliamentary reply, Kadir said RTM is prepared to extend broadcast time to air breaking news if needed.

He said the frequency of broadcasts of such news would depend on the nature of the event and the information received.

"Breaking events like the earthquake and tsunami disaster three months ago was transmitted by RTM," he said in reply to a question by Shim Paw Fatt (BN-Tawau).

Shim had wanted to know if the government planned to extend the transmission times of RTM in the event of important occurrences in the world, especially in the Asian region.

On the tsunami disaster of last Dec 26, which also involved the country, Kadir said RTM's radio stations had led other media in reporting the catastrophe and which was followed by television coverage.

"For the earthquake disaster in Nias island in Indonesia last March 29, RTM broadcast updates hourly until 6am though normal transmission times end at 1.30 am. Other stations had ended their transmissions earlier than that," he said.
The station had come under fire for missing out on the earthquake tremors that rocked buildings and led to thousands fleeing their homes in several peninsular states last month.