KUCHING: Sarawak’s plan to provide free tertiary education cannot be rolled out as soon as next year, Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman said today.
He was responding to state PKR deputy chairman Senator Abun Sui Anyit who called for a speedier implementation instead of from 2026 as previously announced by Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
“An enabler to fulfilling this long-term vision is through the establishment of the Sarawak Sovereign Wealth Fund which will only be operational starting next year,” Fazzrudin said.
The chief political secretary to Abang Johari said the fund’s key objective is to protect Sarawak’s interests and that of its future generations.
He added that the state government does not want to provide free tertiary education as a one-off or piecemeal programme.
As such, he said long term planning is required to ensure its implementation is smooth and sustainable.
“What is important is that the objective is already in there,” he said. He added that efforts to make education more accessible to Sarawakians are already in place, and listed scholarships and bursaries offered through Yayasan Sarawak to students to reduce their family’s burden. “I believe the free education vision introduced by Sarawak should be emulated by the federal government as investment in education is key for Malaysia’s future,” he said.
He said the federal government should adopt Sarawak's blueprint of free education planning.
“This way, all Malaysians would someday be able to benefit from tertiary education as it has become a prerequisite for them to be equipped to compete in the new economy,” Fazzrudin said.
In a statement yesterday, Abun called on the state government to roll out the free tertiary education initiative next year, noting that the state government has nearly RM40 billion reserve as announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof recently.
Abun said it means that the state government does not have to wait until 2026 to give free tertiary education to Sarawak students studying in state-owned higher institutions. He said if it cannot be done next year, then the state government should provide scholarship to Sarawak students studying public universities in the country as proof of its seriousness.
