When I was on a trip to Kuala Lumpur City Centre last year, I intentionally searched for a bookstore and found Kinokuniya. As someone with a deep love for books and coincidentally, a first-time traveler to Malaysia, I was awed to step into a bookstore abroad. While reminiscing about that moment, I’m thinking of how Malaysia has launched its book voucher program for students’ education, and I was even more in awe.
As an Indonesian who craves books, I feel delighted to see that a Southeast Asian country supports its students by providing subsidies to buy books. This is such a revolutionary initiative that means a great deal, especially for students and families who cannot afford books as easily as others.
Beyond its function as financial support, this program also positively affects the economy of bookstores and nurtures a reading culture among students. So, here is what we need to know about Malaysia’s book voucher program.
Get to Know Malaysia’s Book Voucher Program
The implementation of a book voucher program is proof that Malaysia recognizes the importance of reading, whether for educational purposes or for general. The book subsidy was first introduced in 2012 as the “Baucar Buku 1Malaysia” program, but then it was recreated in 2016, and changed to a discount card in 2017.
And then, in 2024, a similar program started again with the name of “RM100 Madani Book Voucher”, which was reintroduced by the government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. It targets students from Year Four up to university level, aiming to help them buy books more easily. The program provides RM50 vouchers for Year Four to Year Six students and RM100 vouchers for secondary and higher education students.
The program serves a meaningful purpose: to support students in affording books for their education, while also encouraging them to widen their knowledge beyond school materials.
Buying Books Using the Book Voucher
There is a specific process for students to claim and use this book voucher. First, they must register as students on an online platform called MySiswaPlace. Once verified by the system, the voucher would automatically appear on the platform in the form of a digital voucher.
Yup, this book voucher is not distributed to students as cash, but as a digital voucher that can directly pay for the books students choose. The books that can be purchased are the ones available on MySiswaPlace, which is connected to the local bookstores affiliated with the program. Furthermore, this platform provides more than 800.000 titles, from school materials to fiction, up to date with the latest releases.
Students are free to choose any book they want, whether for educational purposes or simply for enjoyment, like novels and comics. The way this voucher is delivered digitally and not in the form of cash is just wise, so students will really buy books with this voucher and not something else.
Public Response to the Book Voucher Program
Regarding this program, people’s responses have been varied. Many people support it because it not only helps students meet their educational needs, but also benefits families and local bookstores. Parents feel less burdened in affording their children's education, and local bookstores benefit from an increase in sales.
On the other hand, there are some criticisms. Some people say that the system makes it a bit harder for publishing houses to see the specific data about students’ reading interests. This is because of a concern that students might spend their vouchers on random titles just to use them up.
Nevertheless, above everything, the overall response towards the book voucher program has been overwhelmingly positive. Even though there is the possibility of just buying any books randomly, there is also the chance that students would develop an interest in books and eventually, the habit of reading itself.
The Book Voucher Program in Creating A Reading Culture
As mentioned earlier, the book voucher program not only serves as a help in educational purposes, but also cultivates a reading culture among Malaysian youth. Even for students who were initially not interested in books, the program creates opportunities to gradually find their own reading preferences. From searching only for school materials, students may go on to explore more types of books, or even find their first love in books.
The program continues to 2025, giving more students the freedom to access knowledge. This book voucher also helps students from rural areas to get books easily and more affordably. As a result, reports show that around 6 million books had been sold by the end of this program, with approximately 500,000 students registered on MySiswaPlace in 2024.
As a book lover, I deeply appreciate Malaysia for introducing and sustaining this program. Its success in supporting students for their education is worth acknowledging. The greatest hope is that this program can continuously help and inspire students in nurturing a love for reading.
If you’ve made it to the end of this article, perhaps you are a book lover, or maybe someone who deeply cares about education. Malaysia’s book voucher program has proven impactful to society and the book industry. Now, imagine if similar initiatives can be applied in other countries as well, it would open up great access to knowledge and of course, lead to a better future. Does your country have a similar program for books?
