KOTA KINABALU: The newly launched Sabah State Education Fund (TPNS) represents a new chapter in the state’s quest for academic excellence through the creation of more opportunities for Sabahans to pursue higher education.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the TPNS introduced by the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-Barisan Nasional state government was different from the state scholarship and the state-owned Yayasan Sabah study loan programmes.
"The TPNS is meant to help underprivileged young Sabahans, especially those from the B40 income families, to have the chance to study in higher learning institutions," he said to reporters on Thursday (June 2).
"This fund operates differently from the state government scholarships and Yayasan Sabah study loans but they have the same objective which is to assist those from poor families to pursue higher education.
"Sometimes, such students who do well in their secondary education examinations are not able to obtain scholarships so this TPNS will be of help to them."
Hajiji was speaking after launching the TPNS, which allows government-linked companies (GLCs) and private companies to contribute, at the Sabah International Convention Centre.
The Chief Minister said there was RM54.5mil donated so far into the TPNS by the state government (which contributed the bulk of the funds with RM50mil), Benta Wawasan Sdn Bhd, Sabah Softwoods Berhad, Innoprise Plantations Berhad, Yayasan Lau Gek Poh, Ikatan Kayangan Sdn Bhd and Usahawan Borneo Group.
Towards this end, he urged other GLCs and big private companies making profits through their businesses in Sabah to come forward and contribute to the TPNS.
"The good thing is companies who donate will get tax exemptions for their contributions," he said.
Hajiji explained that the TPNS, which was themed "Sponsorship Opportunities For All", was an initiative under Yayasan Sabah’s 2015-2023 strategic transformation plan.
He said the Sabah government welcomed the efforts by the Yayasan Sabah, of which Hajiji is the Board of Trustees’ chairman, in aiding the state’s education development agenda.
"Such a commitment is duly required, more so with the implementation of the first phase of the Sabah Maju Jaya development plan (2021-2025), which among others placed human capital development as one of its core," he said.
Hajiji said various incentives, beside the TPNS, have been lined up under the 2022 Sabah Budget in order to enhance education in the state.
In line with its commitment to develop human capital through education, he said, the government would continue giving scholarships to Sabahans, with RM55mil allocated for this purpose.
Besides the TPNS, he reiterated that another new initiative to be implemented this year was the state education assistance programme or Bantuan Ihsan Tabungan Pendidikan Negeri (Bistari), which had been allocated RM5mil.
Through the programme, he said, the state government would sponsor each Sabahan child born this year RM100 in order to open an account in the National Education Savings Scheme.
Hajiji said the Yayasan Sabah Group had, between 1967 and 2021, dished out more than RM768mil in scholarships, study grants and loans in order to help 114,934 students pursue secondary or tertiary education.
Other than that, he said, the state government has also allocated RM10mil under the Cash Registration Assistance (Budi) programme for students pursuing higher education.
