Star Education Fund helps the needy

Life-changing gift: Wong (right) sharing a light moment with The Star Education Fund recipients in Petaling Jaya.

PETALING JAYA: He lost his father to health complications when he was 12 years old.

He even had to put his studies on hold after finishing Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) as he had to take a job to put his sister through college.

Now, thanks to the Star Education Fund, Bala Murugan Monogaran, 22, will step foot in KDU University College to pursue his Diploma in Mass Communication.

The Nilai native thanked Star Media Group and KDU University College for giving him the chance to pursue his journalism dreams after a five-year academic “gap”.

Another recipient of the fund, Ng Kah Yong, has been juggling work and study all his life.

“It was my only way to get a university education,” said the 25-year-old who will be pursuing a Masters of Business Administration at Taylor’s University while working as an IT consultant.

“Having studied and worked in the IT line has given me some technical insight, but the MBA will allow me to gain some knowledge and skill in business.

“Besides learning about finance, marketing and management, doing the MBA will hopefully offer me an opportunity to climb up the corporate ladder,” said the oldest of four children.

Ng is no stranger to handling multiple responsibilities at the same time.

His father, who works as a lorry driver, had a stroke when he was doing his diploma in Information and Communications Technology. Ng decided to work part-time to support his education.

Upon completing his diploma, he got a full-time job as an R&D programmer while studying part-time for a degree in Computer Science.

Ng said he had to make some sacrifices throughout his education, such as turning down invitations from friends to hang out or watch movies, as he wanted to do well in his studies.

Star Media Group Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai thanked the universities, colleges and institutions of higher learning which have partnered with the Star Education Fund.

“Your unwavering commitment has made it possible for so many needy and deserving young Malaysians to pursue their tertiary education and realise their dreams,” he said during the scholarship awards ceremony.

He said this year the Star Education Fund and its partners-in-education awarded close to RM8mil to 160 scholarship recipients.

Now in its 22nd year, the Star Education Fund has awarded more than RM101mil worth of scholarships to 3,432 recipients.