KUCHING, March 12 — Sarawak’s plan to provide free tertiary education is in its final stages and will be implemented next year, said state Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn.
According to him, all necessary preparations have been made, with only the disbursement of funds remaining.
“Everything has been done except for that final stage, which is to disburse the money.
“Once the money has been handed over to the ministry everything is already taken care of,” said during the STEM Catalysts Raspberry Pi press conference at Sarawak Skills here today.
Sagah also said that the first batch of students under the free tertiary education initiative would be enrolled between April and August next year, depending on the intake schedules of local universities.
While there is no specific quota for each university, the initiative will initially be limited to Sarawak’s own institutions and will cover science-related courses.
“As long as it is the defined courses, which are science-related courses mainly in engineering and all that,” he said.
In addition to science courses, he also said a few selected arts-related disciplines would be eligible.
He also revealed that finance, accounting, law, and psychology would be covered, with more details to be announced in November.
“If I tell you now, it takes away the excitement but those courses will be included. But for now, it depends on the needs of our industries,” he said.
Furthermore, Sagah emphasised that the programme aims to align students’ education with industry demands to ensure better employment opportunities upon graduation.
“We don’t want to sponsor students and then later on they come back and can’t get a job. Because in any event, the blame will always be on the government,” he said.
When asked about potential challenges faced by rural students in accessing the free tertiary education initiative, Sagah stated that no formal studies had been conducted but believed the issue was more about interest and educational emphasis rather than capability.
He said he didn’t think rural students might struggle to meet the requirements.
“I think it’s a question of how much interest we put in. Of course, a lot has to do with teachers’ commitment and the emphasis that we put on it,” he said.
He cited Chinese middle schools as an example, noting that they have traditionally placed strong emphasis on mathematics.
Sagah assured that further details on eligible programmes would be announced in November, allowing students ample time to prepare.
“Let them study hard first. I will release the detailed process so that we all know,” he said.
Among those present during the press conference were state Education, Innovation and Talent Development Deputy Minister Datuk Francis Harden Hollis, Sarawak Skills executive director Hallman Sabri, Sarawak Education Department director Omar Mahli, Sagah’s ministry deputy permanent secretary Aneilia Siam. — The Borneo Post
