Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has thanked the Pakatan Harapan government for recognising the Permata programme, which is his wife Rosmah Mansor's brainchild.

Najib said the name of the programme is only secondary to the role it plays in benefiting the next generation.

Yesterday, Education Minister Maszlee Malik announced the name change, which he said was a cabinet decision in order to make the programme more competitive and motivated.