Kuala Lumpur: Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, Datuk Ewon Benedick, announced that the Sabah Government, through the Sabah Public Service Department (JPAN Sabah), has agreed to offer 35 scholarships to Sabah students pursuing studies at Universiti Keusahawanan Koperasi Malaysia (UKKM).
He said this initiative is part of the State Government’s efforts to support education development in the fields of entrepreneurship and cooperatives.
“A huge thank you to JPAN Sabah for supporting Kuskop and UKKM by offering scholarships to Sabah students pursuing further studies at UKKM. “I have been informed that JPAN Sabah recently approved scholarships for two Bachelor’s degree students and one diploma student currently studying at UKKM. “In addition, JPAN Sabah agreed to allocate scholarships for 20 diploma students and 15 State Government Scholarships (BKNS) for Bachelor’s degree students enrolling at UKKM this year.
“This scholarship allocation aligns with the ‘Look East within the Nation’ policy under Kuskop’s perspective, aimed at supporting Sabah’s socio-economic development, particularly in eradicating hardcore poverty in the State,” he said during the Pro-Chancellor Proclamation and UKKM’s First Convocation Ceremony, here, recently.
Ewon also encouraged major cooperatives to establish education assistance funds to benefit their members, members’ children, as well as cooperative board members and management personnel who wish to continue their studies at UKKM.
“UKKM’s success depends on the full support of the cooperative movement, which consists of 16,009 registered cooperatives and 7.2 million members nationwide,” he said.
He urged agencies under Kuskop, such as the Malaysian Cooperative Institute (IKMa), the Malaysian Cooperative Commission (SKM) and the National Cooperative Movement of Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa), to continue collaborating with UKKM in strengthening the role of cooperatives in higher education.
Ewon said Yayasan Bank Rakyat (YBR) will provide scholarships to 105 UKKM students starting this year, covering 20 diploma students and 15 Bachelor’s degree students per intake for the next three years.
“SKM has also awarded scholarships to 29 UKKM students, demonstrating a continued commitment to supporting cooperative education,” he said.
