PETALING JAYA: More philanthropists should step forward to provide better education opportunities for Malaysians, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.
“If more successful businessmen and philanthropists emulate Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah’s impressive contribution to society, the Government’s financial burden can be reduced,” he said during the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF) Scholarships and Awards ceremony.
JCF was founded by Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah and to date it has given out more than RM210mil in scholarships to some 23,000 deserving and bright students.
Dr Cheah, who is JCF founding trustee and Sunway University chancellor, believes in the power of a good education to transform lives, which led him to establish JCF.
He said the foundation broke its own record by disbursing scholarships worth RM45mil to more than 3,000 students yesterday.
“This is the highest annual disbursement in the history of the foundation, and surpasses the RM33mil gifted last year,” he said.
Dr Cheah said he was delighted to see many scholarship recipients of different ethnicities and backgrounds.
Idris congratulated Dr Cheah and the foundation for their generosity and commitment in providing opportunities for quality education.
At the same event, Dr Cheah announced that the Asia Leadership Institute, which is affiliated with the Harvard University Asia Centre, will have its regional headquarters in Sunway University, beating other cities such as Hong Kong, Tokyo and Ulanbaatar, Mongolia.
Now in its 15th year, the scholarships are given annually to recognise the outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements of Sunway University and Sunway College students.
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