Sabah Allocates Rm128mil For Scholarships Benefits Over 13 500 Students

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Sabah Science, Technology, and Innovation minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif, representing the Chief Minister, engaged with Sabah students during the Iftar gathering for university students in Peninsular Malaysia with the Chief Minister at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) on Thursday.KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 13,550 students from Sabah have benefited from the Sabah State Government Scholarship (BKNS) sponsorship between 2021 and 2024.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said this initiative aligns with the government's commitment to support education for the youth of Sabah.
He added that the state has continuously increased its funding for BKNS, which has reached a record RM128 million this year — an increase of 150 per cent compared to 2020.
"Since taking over the government administration in October 2020, the allocation for BKNS has steadily increased, from RM50 million in 2020 to RM55 million in 2021, RM101 million in 2023, and RM113 million in 2024," he said during the Iftar Ceremony for university students with the Chief Minister at the KLCC Convention Centre here.
Hajiji's speech was read by the State Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif, who also serves as the Education and Religious Affairs Exco.
Hajiji further mentioned that the Sabah State Education Fund (TPNS), launched in 2022, has benefitted 7,483 students from the bottom 40 household income group who did not receive sponsorship from any other sources, with a total allocation of RM8.6 million.
To further strengthen educational support, he highlighted various initiatives that will continue this year, along with improvements to benefit students overall.
These initiatives include the Budi Cash Assistance for Higher Education Enrollment, which provides RM2,000 for undergraduate students and RM1,500 for diploma or matriculation students.
Other initiatives are the Bakti Special Examination Assistance (RM200 for students sitting for public examinations), Sentosa (for Higher Education Students' Contributions), and Subfly, which offers financial support for flight tickets for Sabah students studying at public and private universities in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and Labuan.
Hajiji, who is also the chairman of the Yayasan Sabah (YS) Board of Trustees, added that the YS group has consistently offered various types of sponsorships to assist students in Sabah.
These include the Sabah State Excellence Scholarship, Rural Student Excellence Scholarship, Public University Scholarship, Private University Scholarship, bursaries and higher education loans.
"The YS Group's commitment to educational development in Sabah is evident, with the education fund increasing by 86.38 per cent, from RM36.04 million in 2021 to RM67.17 million in 2024," he said.
"This increase enables a total of 3,234 students to benefit from the YS Group's education sponsorship in 2024." - NST

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