KUCHING: The government is expanding its support for autistic children with the announcement of 11 new PERMATA centres across Malaysia, including Sarawak and Sabah.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the centres, which will be built in each state, are part of the government’s commitment to ensuring autistic children have access to quality education and support.
“We are dedicated to providing the highest level of welfare and education for autistic children,” Anwar said when presenting the 2025 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat today (Oct 18).
In addition to the new centres, the government will also construct two new schools for special needs students in Tuaran, Sabah, and Johor Bahru at a cost of RM300 million.
The school in Johor Bahru will be the first in the country to focus exclusively on education for autistic children.
To further support autistic children and their families, the government will continue to provide the Special Needs Student Allowance of RM150 per month to more than 110,000 students with disabilities, including those with autism.
This initiative involves a total allocation of RM200 million.
Additionally, the government will provide tuition fee assistance to 30,000 autistic children, with a fund of RM15 million.
To ensure a comfortable and inclusive learning environment, RM10 million will be allocated to assist registered private autism schools in improving their facilities.
Furthermore, the government will establish an Autism Service Centre with a budget of RM5 million to benefit the autism community.
To provide further relief to families of autistic children, the tax relief limit for autism treatment and rehabilitation expenses will be increased from RM4,000 to RM6,000.
