Datuk Bacho Pilong (second left) handing over a key replica to Sabah state secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong and Mara deputy director general Razlan Samsuri (second right) in a symbolic handing over of MRSM Ranau to the Sabah state government and Mara.
KOTA KINABALU: Education in Sabah’s Ranau district in the foothills of Mount Kinabalu has been given a boost thanks to a RM132mil Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) Junior Science College (MRSM) campus.
The MRSM Ranau campus is developed by PETRONAS and is the result of collaboration with the Sabah government and MARA; it will be operational from March 2024.
PETRONAS handed over the campus to the state government and Mara on Monday (Nov 20), marking a historic moment in the campus’ development that will enhance access to quality education among students in the state.
The symbolic handover ceremony took place here witnessed by Sabah Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who was representing the Chief Minister, accompanied by PETRONAS president and Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik and Mara chairman Datuk Wira Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
At the ceremony, PETRONAS senior vice president (project delivery and technology) Datuk Bacho Pilong handed over a key replica to State secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong, representing the state government.
Safar in turn handed over the replica key to Mara deputy director general (education) Razlan Samsuri, for the facility’s operation.
Also present were state Cabinet ministers, heads of government departments and agencies as well as the top management of PETRONAS.
Tengku Muhammad Taufik said that the success of the MRSM Ranau project encapsulates the spirit of collaboration and shared commitment between the Sabah government, Mara and PETRONAS to empower human capital development through education.
“The ceremony today symbolises a new chapter in our commitment to support the aspirations of the Sabah government in developing the human capital potential of young Sabahan talents to become valuable assets who are equipped to contribute to the growth and prosperity of the state.
“PETRONAS believes that Sabah's talents will achieve academic excellence towards delivering the state’s social, economic and sustainability goals, in line with the objectives of the Sabah-PETRONAS Human Capital Development Agenda (HCDA),” he said.
Asyraf added that the result of the collaboration between Mara, PETRONAS and the state government in developing this Ranau campus will create a new dimension for rural education that benefits the people of Sabah, especially around the district.
With a floor area of over 26,000 square metres, the MRSM Ranau campus has the capacity to accommodate 450 students.
