Hasan (second from left) and Baharin with MyBF recipients (from left) Matankumar Sarawana, Khaireena Hairudin and Muhammad Fadhli Abd Rashid.
TENAGA Nasional Berhad (TNB) continues to fund students from underprivileged backgrounds for them to pursue higher education through the My Brighter Future (MyBF) initiative for the year 2021.
MyBF aid was presented to 1,760 students for the 2021 intake by Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (YTN) at a ceremony on Feb 24 this year at TNB headquarters’ multipurpose sports complex in Kuala Lumpur. TNB chairman Datuk Seri Hasan Arifin officiated the event, with TNB president and chief executive officer Datuk Ir Baharin Din and YTN director Datuk Ir Dr Ibrahim Hussein in attendance.
“Since MyBF was introduced in 2018, over 6,800 students from the B40 group have benefitted from it in terms of their studies, including tuition fees, accommodation, living allowances and more, until their graduation,” said Hasan.
“TNB, through YTN which was established in 1993, also provides scholarships and loans to higher education students.”
Baharin (left) and Hasan presenting MyBF aid to Surentar Baskaran who is looking to pursue his studies in STEM courses at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, observed by Ibrahim (right).
To date, over 20,000 students have benefitted from TNB’s educational assistance programme with an estimated sponsorship of more than RM1.3bil in total.
“As a responsible corporate citizen, TNB serves the community in various forms of educational assistance.
“Dermasiswa MyBF is a two-pronged strategy to enable the underprivileged to access higher education and in time, eradicate poverty,” he said.
Hasan said that developing the nation’s human capital by making education accessible and opportunities abundant is one of TNB’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, which also focus on the environment and sports.
TNB has allocated RM49mil to fund the studies of MyBF 2021 intake students at more than 45 higher educational institutions in the country, in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as students in technical and vocational training (TVET) institutions.
Solomon Lum Kasing is hoping to improve his socioeconomic status through education.
Solomon Lum Kasing, 19, is looking to pursue his studies in STEM courses at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka.
“I’m the eldest child of the family, with two brothers aged 17 and 12. My father was a taxi driver and now he’s a dispatch rider. My mother works as a McDonald’s crew member.
Hasan said that developing the nation’s human capital by making education accessible and opportunities abundant is one of TNB’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.“I had been applying for every financial aid and scholarship until I unexpectedly received the MyBF offer. MyBF has lightened the burden for me and my parents, especially in university fees and related expenses. I come from a poor family so the MyBF aid means a lot to me.
“I’m a part-time Grab driver myself. With MyBF, I’m much more motivated to study since I don’t have to worry about earning a living as well. I hope to get a job that will allow me to give back to my parents and society in the future,” he added.
According to Hasan, the MyBF aid, which is specially reserved for students from B40 families, does not bond nor require repayment from the beneficiaries.
“The selection of students is made based on the database of the Bahagian Kemasukan Pelajar IPTA which was known as Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU), and priority on students registered with the e-Kasih System. The data matching has been made by the UPU and students do not have to make any application or go through the interview process,” he said.
The MyBF offer letter is then issued together with the offer letter to IPTA by the respective institutions to ensure that financial issues are not the main hurdle that students face when they begin their studies.
TNB’s study aid will not only ease the burden of the lowest income families by covering the cost of tertiary education, but also enable these children to have better careers and in turn help improve their family’s living standards.
Aspiring chargeman Dahlia (left) will be responsible for the electrical systems in a production plant in the future.
Another recipient, 21-year-old Nur Dahlia Amirah Mohd Amin, is looking to do exactly that with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Technology (Industrial Power) at Universiti Malaysia Perlis.
“I am the eldest among five siblings. My father is a machine operator while my mother is a housewife.
“I’m happy to receive this MyBF aid to ease my family’s burden.
“I can now study with peace-of-mind. Without MyBF, I would have tried to get a PTPTN loan, or worked a couple of years to save for my studies.
“I aspire to be a chargeman, and to repay my parents for taking care of me all this time. Thank you TNB for giving me MyBF,” she said.
Nur Dahlia Amirah’s mother Zuriyati Zainol Abidin, 42, was with her to accept the MyBF aid.
“When Dahlia was studying at the Sg Buloh Vocational Secondary School, her father was ill and we had no car. He still had to ferry her back and forth on a motorcycle, even in the rain.
“If she didn’t get MyBF, Dahlia may have to work first just to make enough to study. Our family believes that education is a step to a better life so we’re really grateful to TNB for MyBF,” she said.
In their second semester of the 2020/2021 academic year, 33.4% of MyBF students got a CGPA of 3.50 and above. Academic analysis shows that the overall average of students who managed to achieve a CGPA of 3.00 and above was over 75%.
MyBF not only provides financial assistance but also develops students’ competencies while instilling values and building a culture of honesty and being respectful of others, including environmental care.
As a show of commitment to these values, TNB held a tree-planting event with students at the MyBF ceremony to inculcate the value of sustainability in future generations – in line with TNB’s Sustainability Pathway initiative to achieve a net zero emissions target in concerted efforts to address climate change.
