Philanthropist Syed Mokhtar believes in ‘paying it forward’

Lending a helping hand: Syed Mokhtar (far right) started AIU in order to give underprivileged students from all over the world a chance to pursue higher education.

PETALING JAYA: Having to grow up in poverty and drop out of school as a teenager made billionaire Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary determined to provide higher education opportunities to others once he had the means to do so.

To achieve this goal, Syed Mokhtar, who is often regarded as one of the most humble tycoons in Malaysia, founded the Albukhary International University (AIU) to help underprivileged students from all over the world receive free higher education.