KUCHING: A new education fund is being set up to assist needy Sarawakian students pursue further studies, with applications set to open next year.
Founder and organising chairman Datuk Richard Lee said the Sarawak unity education fund was a private sector initiative to provide scholarships to students from Sarawak and develop them into future leaders for the state.
"In conjunction with the 60th anniversary of Malaysia and the successful transformation of Sarawak, it's timely that the private sector comes up with a programme to support the state's development, so we decided to start the education fund," he told a press conference after the fund's first committee meeting here on Tuesday (Oct 10).
Lee said the fund was honoured to have the support of Abang Johari, who had agreed to be its patron.
"We will have to work hard to make sure that this project is ongoing and sustainable to benefit the state in the future," he added.
Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Husain, the fund's adviser, said RM1.6mil had been pledged for the fund so far.
"Our target is RM2mil in order to kickstart this project, commencing next year once the fund is launched.
"We hope that members of the public, especially entrepreneurs and the business community, will be able to give us the support and donate generously to this fund to help poor and needy students to further their education," he said.
Abdul Aziz added that the fund was open to all Sarawakian students regardless of race or religion.
"As long as they need it and qualify, we will offer them the scholarship," he said.
State Deputy Minister in the Premier's Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) Datuk Gerawat Gala, who heads the fund's selection committee, said those eligible were needy students who had gained entry to public or private universities in Malaysia.
"There is no bond but the hope is that these students will serve the state in some capacity in the future," he said.
Gerawat also said the fund would not be limited to particular courses at the start, but it would look at the needs of the state progressively.
