KPT Tour For Sabah Community To Empower Higher Education Development

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 30 (Bernama) -- The Higher Education Tour Programme is a manifestation of the Ministry of Higher Education's (KPT) commitment to reach out to the rural and interior communities of Sabah to empower the development of higher education, especially the younger generation in the area.

The tour series, which was first held in Sabah, is not only a platform to expand access to information on higher education opportunities offered by universities or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, but also as a medium for sharing knowledge through various beneficial training with the local community.

It is being implemented in line with the KPT's spirit of "Sharing Knowledge, Supporting Communities" which has toured several locations in the Land Below the Wind including Kota Belud, Sepanggar, Kudat, Kota Marudu, Lahad Datu, Tawau, Sandakan, Sipitang and Tenom since July.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the initiative aims to ensure that Sabahan children do not miss out on important information regarding the courses of study offered as well as the entry routes to each higher education institution, polytechnic and community college.

"This programme is a new concept and brand introduced in Sabah as a platform to create opportunities for direct interaction so that relevant information is easy to understand. This will motivate the younger generation of Sabah, especially those in rural areas, to plan their future to pursue higher education," he told reporters here.

Mustapha said the government is always committed to ensuring that access to education can be expanded throughout the country, including Sabah and Sarawak.

However, based on his observations, access to information on the matter is quite limited in Sabah, causing the ministry to take the initiative to bring representatives of universities, polytechnics and community colleges directly to the field to meet the state's community so that they can obtain information directly.

Apart from the involvement of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Mustapha said that the tour series was also attended by universities from Peninsular Malaysia such as Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) to introduce these institutions to the Sabah community.

According to him, the programme received an encouraging response because apart from being a medium for accessing information on admission to the institutions involved, the programme also became a platform for channelling various fields of knowledge such as skills, agriculture and entrepreneurship that could generate income for the local community.

Mustapha said short courses were also offered free of charge throughout the tour series through Lifelong Education (PSH) covering various skill areas, including courses on how to make keropok lekor, fish balls, yellow noodles, flower decoration and arrangements and basket weaving.

The move, he said, is aimed at informing the Sabah community that PSH study courses are also provided at community colleges for as little as RM5, thus encouraging them to pursue these fields in the future.

Mustapha said the Higher Education Tour Programme also reached out to primary school students in Sabah to open up the thinking space of that generation, especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through several activities held to attract their interest in the relevant majors.

He is optimistic that the programme will be able to reduce the information gap and ensure access to higher education information reaches all levels of society regardless of location, while at the same time inspiring Sabah youth to confidently step into universities or TVET institutions.

“I hope parents will be able to encourage their children to focus on education and take up a major at a community college or polytechnic after the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). Don’t let these children end up with just SPM.

“This (higher education tour) is the concern of the MADANI government for the people of Sabah to improve their education and socio-economic level,” he said.

Mustapha said the Higher Education Tour Programme would be expanded to other states by focusing on rural, interior, indigenous and vulnerable communities to ensure that these groups also gain access to information on educational opportunities at universities and TVET institutions.

Meanwhile, the director of the UMK Institute of Small and Medium Enterprises Dr Mohd Ikhwan Aziz described the higher education tour programme as a good step because it provides great benefits to the community, especially entrepreneurs in rural and interior areas.

The instructor for the digital entrepreneurship course in the Tenom tour said that 30 participants who are also community entrepreneurs from the district were given exposure to transform their businesses to digital platforms.

“We found that many community entrepreneurs have not yet converted their businesses into digital forms. From this training, entrepreneurs can do so to enable their products to be reached by all Malaysians and subsequently increase their income,” he said.

Meanwhile, Marybeth Aking, a young participant of the tour in Tenom was happy to take the Snowy Mooncake Course for the first time and had the opportunity to learn making the cake from the instructors who used to produce their own products.

“Thank you for organising a programme like this. I am very happy to meet many friends. With what I have gained from this course, I can start a business in the future,” she said.

-- BERNAMA