KUCHING: Sarawak's free tertiary education scheme (FTES) does not extend to public universities in Malaysia that are under federal jurisdiction, says a state minister.
Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah said these institutions, including Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), were outside the state government's financial and administrative jurisdiction.
"The proposal to extend FTES to include all Sarawakian students attending universities across Malaysia, including Unimas and UiTM, is not feasible under the current policy.
"Implementing a tuition-free scheme for these federal institutions nationwide would require a policy decision and funding from the Federal Government and Higher Education Ministry," he told the Sarawak Legislative Assembly in his winding-up speech on Monday (Dec 1).
Sagah said FTES was for Sarawakian students at state-owned institutions comprising Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak, and i-CATS University College.
He said 64 courses had been approved under the scheme, with the list to be announced by Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg later this month.
Sagah also said the scheme included a stipend of RM15,000 for students from households with a monthly per capita income of RM1,500 and below, with RM5,000 of the sum allocated for accommodation.
The accommodation allocation will be channelled directly to the state-owned institutions to manage on the students' behalf, while the remaining RM10,000 will be disbursed directly to the students' accounts through Sarawak's e-wallet application S Pay Global.
