By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 21: Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen has called on Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to provide an annual RM15,000 stipend to all Sarawakian students from low-income (B40) households, regardless of whether they are studying in Sarawak-owned, public, or private universities.
Chong highlighted the disparity under the upcoming Sarawak Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES), where B40 students in the four Sarawak-owned universities will receive RM15,000 yearly, while those studying at federal institutions such as Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and UiTM Sarawak would only receive RM1,200 per year.
He said the current structure of the FTES is unfair towards B40 Sarawakian undergraduates in federal public universities.
“Although the federal government subsidises 90 per cent of tuition fees for students studying in Unimas and UiTM and other public universities, for students coming from B40 families, the accommodation and living expenses remain heavy financial burdens just as they are for those enrolled in State-owned institutions,” he said in a statement today.
Chong was responding to Abang Johari’s remarks during the Sarawak Premier’s Special Award ceremony on Nov 17, where the Premier announced that the State government would absorb full tuition fees and provide a RM15,000 annual stipend to B40 Sarawakian students studying at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) and i-CATS University College.
Chong also rejected the Premier’s justification that the State government could not offer equal support because Unimas and UiTM are federal institutions and thus falls outside the State administrative control.
“Such an excuse is no justification for the unfair treatment of our fellow Sarawakian students from B40 families. Giving assistance to students for their living expenses is not interfering with the management of these universities.
“The fact that the students are studying in federal institutions or Sarawak-owned universities do not make a difference in their daily needs and expenses and the financial constrain faced by them coming from a B40 family,” he said.
Chong called on the Sarawak government to treat all B40 Sarawakian undergraduates equally, whether they study in Sarawak-owned institutions, Unimas, UiTM, other public universities in Malaysia, or private universities.
“I urge the Premier to extend the RM15,000 annual stipend to all B40 Sarawakian students,” he said. — DayakDaily
