By Marlynda Meraw
KUCHING, May 26: Padungan assemblyman, Chong Chieng Jen, has highlighted a contrast between the Sarawak government’s RM100 million allocation for air charters and the limited scope of free tertiary education offered to Sarawakians in State-owned universities.
Speaking during a press conference at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) media room today, Chong had sought clarification from Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD) Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn earlier during the DUS sitting on why the free tuition initiative applies only to selected disciplines.
“The question (is) why the government (would) only restrict free education, free tuition fees for Sarawakians in the four universities owned by the Sarawak government?” he asked, listing the courses covered under the Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), law, finance, and accounting.
Chong said he had conducted company searches on the four institutions: Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak (Swinburne), Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), and i-CATS University College (i-CATS), identifying their legal entities and financial data.
According to him, the combined revenue of these four universities, derived primarily from student tuition fees, stood at approximately RM150 million in 2023. He added that the amount contributed by Sarawakian students would be less than this total, given the proportion of international enrolments.
Chong described the figure as modest when compared to other State expenditures, referring specifically to the Supplementary Supply (2025) Bill tabled earlier on May 22, 2025, for the Department of the Premier of Sarawak, which includes a RM100 million allocation to cover the rental of chartered air services due to increased activities.
He argued that if the State could afford RM100 million for air charter services, it should also be able to afford less than RM150 million annually to provide free tuition across all courses for Sarawakians in its own institutions.
“After all, it is a left pocket to right pocket,” he said.
The FTES is a Sarawak government initiative aimed at easing the financial burden of higher education for Sarawakian students. Set to commence in 2026, the scheme will offer full tuition fee coverage for selected disciplines, namely STEM, law, accounting, and finance, across four State-owned institutions: Swinburne, Curtin University Malaysia, UTS, and i-CATS. –DayakDaily
