Kota Kinabalu: The State Government has allocated a total of RM12 million this year to help 1,600 Sabah public schools under the Bantuan Ihsan Sabah School (Bisbah) programme.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the schools will receive help in the form of equipment such as computers, projectors, printers, Smart TVs, air-conditioners and portable speakers in stages.
He said Bisbah is one of the educational aid initiatives provided by the State Government to empower education performance in the State.
“This is in line with the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Development Plan with human capital development as one of the main agendas that are emphasised by the State Government,” he said at the Educational Aid and Award Presentation Ceremony Sabah State Education Excellence in 2023 at Sabah International Convention Centre, Tuesday.
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Hajiji said the State Government had also allocated RM7.5 million for students who will be taking the SPM, STPM and STAM exams, with RM200 per person through Special Examination Cash Assistance (Bakti), targeting a total of 38,000 students from B40 and M40 families.
“The State Government also takes seriously the financial needs faced by the B40 group, especially to finance the registration of further education of children to Institutions of Higher Education (IPT).
“Hence, Higher Education Registration One-Off Cash Assistance (Budi) was introduced last year and will continue next year.
“State Education Fund Courtesy Assistance (Bistari) amounting to RM1 million to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) will be credited to eligible recipients through the National Education Savings Scheme (SSPN),” he said.
He said Small School Maintenance Assistance (Balkis) was introduced with an allocation of RM4 million for upgrades involving RM50,000 and below.
He said Bantuan Ihsan Komputer (Baik) which targets Sabah students from e-kasih group who are studying at IPT and cannot afford to buy computers for learning purposes would also be continued this year with an allocation of RM2 million for a target of 1,000 laptops.
According to Hajiji, other commitments of the State Government include Special Programme Assistance Education (Bantu), with an allocation of RM500,000. Secretariat Malaysian Sabah Students (Semesta) was also launched for Sabah students inside and outside of the country.
“An allocation of RM500,000 has also been allocated for the Association that Sabah students under Semesta are registered to carry out the Association activities,” he added. He hoped all the intensive educational assistance that the Government has provided the State can be used best by all recipients and encourage them to be more diligent in learning and further charting success in the future.
Meanwhile, Hajiji said the Human Capital Development Blue Print for Sabah (2021-2035) has been prepared to ensure the syllabus, knowledge and skills of youth as well as human capital always remain relevant, in addition to being a guideline for the holistic human capital development programme in the state.
He said the State Government will continue to implement skills training programmes, including TVET, relevant to current market and improve industry facilities and training aids in training institutes.
“Education is always given priority by the Government. This is because education is important to change the fate of the nation’s children.”
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