Izah Azahari
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad outlined initiatives and programmes to improve social welfare and sports for the fiscal year 2023-2024 during yesterday’s 19th Legislative Council session.
WOMEN’S ACTION PLAN
The minister said that an upcoming Women’s Action Plan will include results from a research on women’s development in the country.
He noted that the final report of the research is being prepared, which will include policy recommendations to address the development of women in the country, particularly their economic livelihood and work-life balance.
“Among the main findings of the research is that although the development of women in this country has achieved significant improvement, there are still some areas that require basic research to ensure that the country’s women can reach their full potential,” said the minister.
AI IN WELFARE
The minister noted that the National Welfare System (SKN) has been coupled with artificial intelligence (AI) analysis through Power Business Intelligence (Power BI).
The use of AI in the SKN system is expected to enhance its functionality and expand its analytical capabilities, including geo-location and socio-economic analysis of applicants and recipients, he added.
Meanwhile, the minister said the child protection system has been enhanced to address current challenges. “The National Framework on Child Protection (NFCP) will be further strengthened by the development of foster care programme guidelines, which are targetted for completion this year,” he said.
DEVELOPING SPORTS
The minister said their strategy for sports include implementing action plans to strengthen high-performance sports and develop elite athletes capable of winning medals at regional and international competitions.
“There is a focus on promoting sports for the wider community to support a healthy, prosperous, and integrated country through sports,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports has been approved to implement an allowance of BND800 a month to selected athletes through the Athlete Funding programme under under the Sports Excellence Incentive Scheme.
”From January 1 to December 31, a total of five athletes – three from wushu and two from pencak silat – will be receiving this allowance,” he said.
