Sabah Allocates RM136 Mln In Scholarships This Year To Develop Quality Human Capital

KOTA KINABALU, July 20 (Bernama) -- The Sabah government has allocated RM136 million for the Sabah State Government Scholarship (BKNS) this year as its continuous commitment to strengthening the development of higher education in the state, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said.

The allocation is the highest so far, which has risen significantly compared to RM50 million in 2020, reflecting the determination of the state government to ensure its youth, regardless of socio-economic background, have a chance to further their studies, he added.

“This is the government’s long-term investment project to develop quality human capital that is competitive. We don’t want young Sabahans to be left behind in education due to financial constraints,” he said in his speech read by Sabah Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif at the Sabah university student aid presentation (SENTOSA) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah here today.

He said that 4,170 students will benefit from the scholarship programme this year, in line with the goals of Sabah Maju Jaya in empowering the education sector as a core of state development.

In addition, the Sabah government has allocated RM77.5 million to carry out 13 education initiatives to benefit schools, parent-teacher associations, Sabah student associations and tiertiary students, he said, including one-off cash aid for registrations, aid to purchase computers, and the flight fare aid for Sabah students.

To ensure the continuity of education support, Hajiji said the Sabah State Education Fund introduced in June 2022 has helped almost 10,104 recipients with an expenditure of RM15.8 million so far.

-- BERNAMA