KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government wants the majority of the student population in the state to pursue education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said this was important to ensure that the target of 40 per cent of school students being in the science stream as set by the Sabah Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan was achieved by 2025.
Hajiji said the plan was designed as a guide to implement various programmes and initiatives to strengthen the science, technology, innovation and economy ecosystem in Sabah.
"With this target, it has become more important for Sabah to have quality higher education institutions in an effort to provide excellent STEM-related higher education qualifications for students in the state," he said when opening the Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) branch Sabah is here, today.
The Chief Minister said the opening of TAR UMT in Sabah coincides with the state government's aspiration to develop quality human capital, which is one of the three main thrusts outlined in the Sabah Maju Jaya Development Plan (SMJ).
Hajiji welcomed the initiative of the top management of TAR UMT for expanding its wings to Sabah and thus collaborating with the state government in the development of education, including giving opportunities and options to the children of Sabah to continue their studies at university without having to leave the state.
In the meantime, Hajiji said, the Sabah government has created various incentives to help the financial burden of Sabah students to continue their studies to a higher level such as Sabah Outstanding Student Scholarship, Outstanding Rural Student Scholarship, public and private higher education institution scholarships and bursaries through Yayasan Sabah .
"In 2022, the state government has collected RM55.7 million to establish the Sabah State Education Fund. As of December 2023, more than 2,800 students pursuing higher education in Sabah, Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia and abroad have received financial assistance from Tabung Pendidikan Negeri Sabah (TPNS).
"I am happy to know that in this group of recipients, 12 of them are TAR UMT students," he said.
The Chief Minister said education is the backbone of progress and development of the state, therefore, it is a shared responsibility to ensure that the children of Sabah get the best education because human capital is the greatest asset.
"By investing in education, training and skill development, we aim to prepare the population to face the challenges and opportunities of the future," he said. --BERNAMA