Chief Minister Hajiji Noor says the state’s 14 educational initiatives ensure fair access for students, with RM100 million allocated for scholarships this year.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state government remains proactive in providing educational assistance to ensure fair and equitable access for all students across the state.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor stated that this effort aligns with the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 2.0 Roadmap for 2026-2030, which serves as the main strategic plan to boost the state’s competitiveness sustainably.

He urged students to make full use of the ticket subsidies, cash assistance and zakat provided by the government while staying aware of development agendas like infrastructure upgrades.

Hajiji made these remarks at the launch of the Higher Education Student Contribution Assistance Initiative in Sabah (SENTOSA) at the Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic.

A total of 3,366 Sabah students at the polytechnic received SENTOSA cash assistance during the event.

The state government has implemented 14 educational assistance initiatives with a total expenditure of RM210.25 million over five years.

These initiatives have benefitted 90,296 students from Higher Education Institutions and 184,911 school students across Sabah.

A further 1,500 students from various schools and 57 student associations from IPTs in Sabah have also benefitted from the 362 educational programmes conducted.

For this year alone, the state government has allocated RM100 million for the Sabah State Government Scholarship, which is expected to benefit 5,000 students.

Hajiji also estimated that around 30,000 Sabah IPT students studying within the state will benefit from the SENTOSA aid this year.

He confirmed that the 14 educational initiatives would continue in the form of funds and facilities for various purposes including student registration and digital equipment.

This continuation is in line with the development agenda outlined in the 13th Malaysia Plan.

 The Sun Malaysia