THE Malaysian Sabah Student Secretariat (Semesta) was launched in Kota Kinabalu on Oct 31 to provide support to Sabah student associations in all higher learning institutions (IPT) across the country.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who officiated the launch at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), said Semesta can also be used as a platform for students to voice their views, ideas and suggestions for the development and progress of Sabah.
“I am sure and believe that Semesta will be able to expand abroad for Sabah students who continue their studies outside Malaysia. The establishment of Semesta will also benefit all Sabah students through the dissemination of information about the State Government policies.
“Dissemination of accurate information is crucial to give students an understanding of the State Government’s efforts in empowering human capital in Sabah. I announced the intention to establish Semesta during an event with Sabah students in the peninsula last April. Alhamdulillah, the plan to establish Semesta has been realised and we are launching it today,” he said.
The Chief Minister announced the intention to establish Semesta during the Nuzul Al-Quran and Breaking the Fast with IPT Students event, which was attended by more than 1,000 Sabah students at the Setia City Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on April 18.
Hajiji said the State Government is always attentive and cares about the welfare and needs of all Sabah students whether inside or outside the country because they are the ones who will continue the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) agenda.
Therefore, he said, in an effort to empower human capital in the State, the State Government has implemented a number of education assistance programmes under the Special Tasks and Coordination Ministry with a total allocation of RM35 million provided for this year.
“The State Government is very concerned about the financial needs of the B40 students, especially in paying for their registration to the IPT. Thus, various government assistance have been implemented, including the one-off Bantuan Tunai Pendaftaran IPT (Budi) which was introduced last year.
“All this educational assistance will continue in the future. These various aids can to some extent ease the burden of those who are less able to finance the registration of children to IPT,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hajiji said Budi’s assistance involves RM1,500 for students who continue their studies at the diploma and matriculation levels and RM2,000 for those studying at the degree level.
“So far, a total of 2,669 applications have been approved from approximately 5,000 applicants who are expected to receive the benefits of this assistance which has been allocated a total of RM10 million,” he said.
In addition to Budi, another educational aid given by the State Government is the Bantuan Ihsan Komputer (Baik) which targets Sabah students from the eKasih group who are studying at IPT and cannot afford to buy a computer.
So far, a total of 325 students have benefited from this assistance which has set a target to provide for a total of 560 students.
The other assistance are Bantuan Tunai Peperiksaan (Bakti), Bantuan Ihsan Sekolah Sabah (Bisbah), Bantuan Aktiviti PIBG Sabah (Bagus) and Bantuan Ihsan Tabung Pendidikan Negeri (Bistari) for children born in 2022. All these initiatives will definitely benefit young Sabahans as a whole.
In this regard, Hajiji wants all these educational initiatives to be used in the best possible way and further improve the excellence of education in the State.
“The State Government provides educational assistance from as early as newborn babies to continuing their studies at IPT in the country or abroad,” he said.
During the event, Hajiji also presented Baik assistance to IPT students and Sabah Education Excellence Award (AKSA) to four recipients.
Also present were Special Tasks and Coordination Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif and State Secretary Datuk Seri Sr Safar Untong.
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