09-07-2025
Sabah mulls free tertiary education, expands student aid
Published on: Wednesday, July 09, 2025
Published on: Wed, Jul 09, 2025
By: Crystal E Hermenegildus Text Size: KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Government is studying the feasibility of providing full education coverage, including free higher education, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Mohamad Arifin Arif. While primary and secondary education is already free, the study explores extending similar support to the tertiary level. Existing efforts include the Human Resource Development Department's ILTP programme and various scholarships from the State Government and Yayasan Sabah. In reply to Lamag assemblyman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, who urged Sabah to follow Sarawak's move on free university education and allowances for low-income students, Arifin said 306 students from Ranau received BUDI aid in 2024, and 29 so far in 2025. He also announced that 146 STPM students who scored 4.0 CGPA received RM1,000 each, with RM3,000 awarded to national top scorer Daniel Hakimi Roland. Under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Education Programme, 13 initiatives have been rolled out, including BUDI (IPT aid), BAKTI (exam cash), BAIK (computers), BAGUS (teacher-parent aid), BISBAH (school aid), and others targeting various educational needs. * Read full report in tomorrow's print paper or log in or sign up for e-paper and premium online news access. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
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