By WU VUIDE
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Government has allocated RM136 million for the State Government Scholarship (BKNS) this year, an increase from RM50 million in 2020.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said this significant increase is to ensure access to higher education for all Sabahan students.
“This is a long-term investment by the government in developing high-quality and competitive human capital.
“We do not want Sabahan children to be left behind in education due to financial constraints,” he said at the presentation of the Sentosa (state higher education student assistance contribution) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
Hajiji’s speech was delivered by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Mohd Arifin Arif.
Hajiji said a total of 4,170 students will benefit from BKNS sponsorship this year.
He said that this year alone, the government allocated RM77.5 million to implement 13 educational assistance initiatives benefitting schools, Parent-Teacher Associations (PIBG), higher education institution (IPT) students, as well as Sabahan student associations both locally and abroad.
Among the main initiatives are the one-off IPT registration cash aid (Budi), the computer aid initiative (Baik), the Malaysian Sabah Student Secretariat (Semesta), and the Sabah student flight ticket assistance (GRS Subfly).
Yayasan Sabah also played a significant role in educational development by allocating RM67.17 million last year, benefitting 3,234 students.
Through the Sabah Islamic Religious Council (MUIS), RM92.4 million was channelled over five years through its Zakat and Fitrah Division, assisting more than 48,000 students across the state.
To ensure continued support for education, Hajiji said the Sabah State Education Fund (TPNS), introduced in June 2022, has benefitted nearly 10,104 recipients, with total expenditure reaching RM15.8 million to date.
He added that the Sentosa assistance, launched in March at the Gaya Campus of the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG), involved an allocation of RM6 million and targets around 20,000 Bumiputera Sabahan students studying at in-state institutions.
“This aid aims to ease students’ financial burden, particularly for basic needs or returning to their hometowns,” he said.
At the event, over 600 students comprising 319 from UMS and 323 from MAHSA College Sabah received one-off Sentosa cash aid.
