Yayasan Sabah pioneers human capital via edu

Published on: Sunday, March 05, 2017

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WITH an expense amounting to RM622.7million, Yayasan Sabah Group’s educational assistance to both secondary schools and higher education has benefited a total of 97,399 students as of 2016.

Since its inception in 1966, Yayasan Sabah’s educational programmes supplement and complement the activities of the government to uplift the quality of education and educational facilities for Malaysians in Sabah.

The core of the Group’s education development programmes is to provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships at the secondary and tertiary level and also study loan for tertiary level.

Yayasan Sabah Group provided a launching grant for the initial Mara Institute of Technology at Sembulan, Kota Kinabalu in 1973, which now houses its very own Sabah Foundation Technical College (KTYS).

The Group is also proud to have given a launching grant for Univsersiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Sabah Branch at Limauan, Kinarut i 1974. In 1995, the Group built a fast track college campus for the temporary use of Universiti Malaysia Sabah at Likas, adjacent to the Menara Tun Mustapha.

“Educational sponsorship offered by Yayasan Sabah Group includes financial assistance through special grants, scholarship awards and study loans,” said Director of Yayasan Sabah, Datuk Sapawi Bin Haji Ahmad.

The Group is among the pioneer of education development in Sabah and its efforts begin at the preschool level.

With the objective to boost children’s (1-12 years old) early education growth in Sabah, the Group through its Child Development Division offers preschool programmes through its nurseries, kindergartens and transition classes besides rural preschools. Since 1989 to date, the Group has produced a total of 11,343 graduates and another 710 students participated in various programmes organised by Child Development Division.

Currently, the Group has 21 preschool centres throughout the State.

The Group has also published children books (words/images) with Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka (in Rumi, Jawi and Arabic translation) and in 2012, a Digital Video Disc (DVD) of Collection of Children’s Songs was produced.

A guidebook/manual on Setting up a Preschool Centre was also published in 2013 by the Group.

The Group’s efforts in education development are not limited to early childhood education.

Since 1967, the Group provides education sponsorship that includes scholarships and study loans for secondary and higher education as well as Hostel Scholarship, Daily Scholarship, Peninsular Secondary School Scholarship, Sabah/Sarawak Students Exchange Programme and Rural to Urban Students Exchange Programme.

Daily Scholarships and Hostel Scholarships are financial assistance given to underprivileged students from Sabah, especially in the rural areas.

Under the Sabah/Sarawak Exchange Programme, the Group offers scholarships to students from Sarawak to further their secondary studies at selected boarding schools in Sabah with Yayasan Sarawak offering similar sponsorships to students from Sabah to further their studies in the best schools in Sarawak.

“Special grants, scholarships and study loans are also offered to secondary students based on their academic achievement to continue their tertiary education in selected fields of study according to the manpower needs of the State,” said Sapawi.

The Sabah State Scholarship Award of Excellence is offered to students who obtained excellent results in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. This award is an accolade of their success and to spur other students to achieve excellent results in their SPM examination. From 1990 to 2016, 488 students benefited from this special award.

According to Sapawi, “From 1967 to date, there are 69,567 students awarded Secondary School Scholarship, while 18,236 students received higher education scholarship since 1968 as well as 9,596 students received higher education study loans from 1967.”

“Up to 2016, a total of 97,399 students with expenses amounting to RM622.7million has been spent on educational assistance to students in secondary school and higher education,” he added.