The weeks before a new school year can be tough on low-income families. Uniforms, shoes, bags and stationery all land at once.
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has been easing that pressure for more than a decade through Ceria Ke Sekolah (CKS), its annual back-to-school programme.
What Ceria Ke Sekolah 2026 delivers
For the 2026 school session, TNB set aside RM1 million from its 2025 financial year CSR budget. The programme carries the theme "Pendidikan Untuk Semua", or Education for All.
It covers 88 locations, chosen around TNB's operating areas, and reaches 10,000 students from B40 families. Each student receives a voucher or school supplies worth RM100.
A stop in Lipis, Pahang
Kosmo reported on one handover at Laman Sejahtera in Lipis. SK Kampung Keledek was the selected school, with 150 pupils sharing an allocation of RM15,000.
Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail presented the contribution. He also urged more corporations to bring CSR programmes to the state.
The school's senior assistant for student affairs, Mohamad Ramizam Abd Rahman, said many parents in the area are self-employed or work in the village. Some are rubber tappers without a fixed income. One Year 5 pupil told the paper he was still using his old school bag.
More than a decade of showing up
CKS isn't a one-off. Since 2013 it has benefited more than 86,000 families nationwide, with total spending of RM13.7 million.
That consistency matters. Families and schools can count on support that returns every year. TNB also uses the programme to get its own employees volunteering.
Why it works
RM100 sounds modest. But it arrives at exactly the moment families need it, and it goes straight to the child.
The same thinking shows up in Marrybrown's school bag programme in Sabah and in the Dato' Seri Siti Nurhaliza Foundation's education work. Further afield, Bridgestone's road safety programme for rural schoolchildren tackles a different barrier: getting to school safely.
And when the calendar moves from school term to festive season, programmes like Yayasan PETRONAS's Aidilfitri assistance for low-income families pick up the thread.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ceria Ke Sekolah?
Ceria Ke Sekolah (CKS) is TNB's annual CSR programme. It provides school supplies to children from B40 families before the new school year.
How much did TNB allocate for CKS 2026?
RM1 million, covering 10,000 students at 88 locations. Each student receives a voucher or supplies worth RM100.
How long has the programme been running?
Since 2013. It has benefited more than 86,000 families, with total spending of RM13.7 million.
Sources
Kosmo: "TNB peruntuk RM1 juta untuk CKS 2026", 30 December 2025.