FOR students who put in the hours, school can be the starting point to something much bigger.
More than 600 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia 2025 high achievers from diverse backgrounds across the country prove just that.
Their academic performance, leadership qualities and active participation in cocurricular activities have earned them sponsorships under the PETRONAS Powering Knowledge Education Sponsorship (PPKES) programme.
The scholars, selected through a rigorous process, will pursue undergraduate studies at local institutions, including Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, as well as selected universities in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, South Korea and Japan.
The sponsorship covers disciplines such as electrical engineering, petroleum engineering, economics and law.
This year’s programme has also been expanded to include architecture, civil engineering, real estate and property management, as well as marine engineering, naval engineering and maritime engineering.
The broadened sponsorship pathways aim to support evolving talent needs across the PETRONAS Group value chain, such as KLCC Holdings and MISC Group, the national oil and gas company said in a Sept 15 press release.
PETRONAS senior vice president and group chief human resources officer Ruslan Islahudin noted that the sponsorship is more than an investment in the scholars’ education.
“It is a trust placed in them to become future leaders and contribute meaningfully to the nation,” he said.
Addressing the scholars at the awards presentation ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur recently, he urged them to lift others as they have been lifted and help make the country stronger than the one currently placed in their hands.
“The world you graduate into five years from now will not be the world we know today. Every generation that has faced great uncertainty has also had the opportunity to shape what comes next.
“So, over the next five years, build more than a good transcript. Build sound judgement, resilience, curiosity and humility,” he said.
Formerly known as the PETRONAS Education Sponsorship Programme, the PPKES programme forms part of the company’s broader Powering Knowledge initiative.
Since its inception in 1975, the programme has supported more than 40,000 Malaysians, with a total investment of over RM4bil, with this year’s edition accounting for RM230mil.
