KOTA KINABALU: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Mustapha Sakmud sees the Budget 2027 as a driver of human capital development for Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the budget tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim consisted of various education ecosystem strengthening initiatives such as the doubling of the JPA scholarships, providing more opportunities for Bornean students to future studies in critical sectors.
He said it would spur economic and social developments for both regions, while the RM1.3bil for instructors to upgrade 682 dilapidated schools nationwide, with priority given to Sabah and Sarwak, is another example.
In terms of allocation for repairs and maintenance of schools, the funding has increased from RM1bil to RM2bil, Mustapha said.
“We also see that the government has increased the RM150 aid for the start of school term to RM200, RM870mil allocation for the food plan programme and a RM2,500 allowance for a total of 90,000 Form 6 students, all to help students in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
He said the RM400 to RM500 FlySiswa aid would also help Sabah and Sarawak students studying out of state.
“I support the initiative to improve PTPTN loan repayment, which would benefit over 400,000 borrowers because this can help ease their financial burden seeing how high-paying jobs in Sabah are limited,” said Mustapha.
This includes postponement of repayment for those earning up to RM2,500 in 2027, a minimum RM50 per month payment for those with RM2,500 to RM3,000 monthly salaries and a 10% discount for those who have been paying consistently without delay, he said.
He said tax reduction for employers who help pay for their employees’ PTPTN loans between Jan 1, 2027 to Dec 31, 2028, was also commendable.
Other than that, Sabah and Sarawak youths have the chance to master TVET skills with the RM8bil training fund and RM500mil Skills Development Fund Trust (PTPK) introduced, said Mustapha.
He said for future skills development, Budget 2027 opens up 100,000 free Artificial Intelligence (AI) subscriptions and 16,000 digital courses.
For a more inclusive form of education, monthly allowance for special education students have been increased from RM150 to RM200, increase in incentives for special education teachers and opening of more Tunas Istimewa kindergartens in outskirts and rural areas were announced.
“Development of human capital in Sabah and Sarawak has to start with a quality education ecosystem,” Mustapha said.
“Therefore both the state and federal governments must work together to create a more professional and component workforce to meet current industrial needs,” he said.
