KOTA KINABALU: The opening of Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and
Technology (TAR UMT) Sabah branch augurs well with the State Government’s aspiration
to develop a quality human capital pool in Sabah.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said he welcomed TAR UMT’s
initiative to expand its wings to Sabah, which directly assists with the development of the
state’s higher education.
“The opening of the TAR UMT Sabah creates opportunities and opens up choices for
Sabahans to further their studies at the university level,” he said at the opening of the TAR
UMT Sabah branch at Alam Mesra near here today.
“I applaud TAR UMT’s ‘Beyond Education’ philosophy which emphasises academic
excellence, nurtures important competencies and develops civic values in its students.
These are holistic developments that will empower students, especially the youths in Sabah
not only to achieve their ambitions but to also contribute to the development of the State,”
he said.
Hajiji said education is the cornerstone of progress and development and it is our collective
responsibility to ensure that children in Sabah receive the best education.
“This is why human capital is one of the three main thrusts of our development roadmap,
the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ). People are our greatest asset. By investing in
education, training, and skill development, we aim to prepare our population for future
challenges and opportunities,” he said.
The State Government had allocated RM475 million to strengthen human capital
development this year, he said, adding that youths made up a substantial part of Sabah’s
population and the State Government remained focused on empowering the state’s youths
to reach their fullest potential to drive Sabah’s future developments.
He said in line with Sabah’s Youth Policy, the State had also allocated RM16.89 million to
implement Sabah’s Youth Leadership Development Programme this year which included
voluntarism and social unity activities.
“We will continue to channel resources to implement various programmes for our youths,
including leadership, skill, and entrepreneurial activities.
“Youth development schemes such as the Sabah Youth Entrepreneurs Success Scheme
(SYABAS) will continue to further support young entrepreneurs in starting and strengthening their entrepreneurial ventures,” he said.
Hajiji said the State government had introduced various programmes and initiatives to
support and equip youths, among them the Student Consultative Council (MPPS) comprising public and private higher learning institutions’ student leaders from all over the
country including universities, polytechnics, community and skills institutes as well as
secondary schools.
“This is an important platform for young Sabahans to share their opinions and aspirations
with us to ensure the success of the SMJ Development Plan.
“It is a strategic platform for the youth in Sabah to be involved in the development of the
State while studying and as such, we will continue to further strengthen this initiative to instil excellence in our future leaders,” he said.
The Chief Minister said it was important too that quality tertiary education is available for the youths in Sabah.
It was important that a substantial part of the student population in Sabah are into STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, he said.
“The state Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry has put in place the 2022-2025
Strategic Plan as a guide to implement various programmes and initiatives to empower the
science, technology, innovation and economy (STIE) ecosystem in Sabah.
“The plan targets at least 40 per cent of school students to be in science stream by 2025.
With this target in place, it has become more important for Sabah to have quality tertiary
education institutions to provide excellent STEM-related tertiary qualifications for students
in Sabah,” he said.
Hajiji said many incentives have been established to help alleviate Sabah students’ financial
burden such as the Sabah Outstanding Students Scholarship, Outstanding Rural Students
Scholarship, public and private higher learning institution scholarships, and bursaries through Yayasan Sabah.
“In 2022, the State collected RM55.7 million to establish the Sabah State Education Fund
(TPNS) and as of December 2023, more than 2,800 students pursuing tertiary education in
Sabah, Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia and abroad have received financial assistance from
TPNS.
“In addition, I am glad to know that within this group of recipients, 12 of them are students
of TAR UMT,” he said.
“As we move forward, let us all work together to ensure that our youths remain competitive
and capable of contributing to the success of the Sabah Maju Jaya aspirations and the nation as a whole,” he said.-pr/BNN
