KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Datuk Muhyiddin Yassin today expressed hopes that those, especially education officers, suffering from the brunt of last year’s big-scale flood would be aided with the Ministry of Education’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Presenting flood victims with cheques at the Parliament here today, Muhyiddin said the contributions showed educators’ support and love to victims of the natural disaster that struck the nation.

“I hope the monetary assistance will indirectly help reduce their suffering, especially among State Education Department (JPN) and District Education Department (PPD) officers, teachers and Anggota Khidmat Pelaksana (AKPs),” he said in a statement.

The ministry’s relief fund, through its Sports and Cultural Association Fund, was launched Jan 5 and contributions were collected from ministry officers, JPN officers, PPD officers and schools nationwide.

A total of RM1,004,367 was hauled in, and the amount was allocated to be given to as many as 15,868 JPN and PPD officers, teachers and AKPs serving in 839 schools, PPDs and JPNs in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Sabah and Sarawak.

205 amongst them, who were categorised as ‘extremely critical victims’, were given RM500 each while others categorised as ‘intermediate-critical victims’ were given various amounts through their schools.

Muhyiddin presented JPN Kelantan with a cheque of RM559,500, JPN Terengganu with a cheque of RM160,000 and JPN Pahang with a cheque of RM71,500.

JPN Sabah received RM64,000 while JPN Perak and Sarawak both received RM24,000.-nst