SIBU, March 22: Universiti Technology Sarawak (UTS) and Farley Group today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which will see 10 students from the B40 income group receiving scholarships from Yayasan Farley per year.
Speaking at a press conference after the signing ceremony, UTS chairman of Board of Directors of UTS, Dr Annuar Rapaee said the amount of the scholarship per student would depend on their course fee.
“If the fee is RM7,000 a year for one student, then the student will receive a RM7,000 scholarship from Yayasan Farley. 10 students will receive the scholarship per year so by the end of the fourth year, the number of recipients will be 40,” he said.
The Nangka assemblyman said the signing of the MoU marked another milestone for both parties as students from poor families could receive financial assistance to pursue their studies at the university.
“This is a very important cooperation. It is very noble of Farley Group to come up with this. The return from education is huge and we can’t measure it by dollars and cents, especially for poor families as it can change their lives,” he added.
Besides the Yayasan Farley scholarship, the State government is also providing a 100 per cent scholarship or RM10,000 for Foundation studies at the university. In addition to that, under the programme, UTS Undergraduate and Postgraduate students can also enjoy a Special Scholarship Scheme of 50 per cent off from their tuition fees.
The other one is the UTS Bursary Scheme for Sarawakians category, where students from the B40 and M40 income groups will enjoy 80 per cent off their tuition fees.
The scheme will only accommodates 100 Bumiputera students and 100 non-Bumiputera students a year.
Yayasan Farley president Eijing Lau said the main purpose of the foundation is to support education.
“We believe that to build a high-quality community, the most important factor lies on the people that live within the community. We therefore focus on the advancement of education to all Sarawakians irrespective of race, religion and creed,” he emphasised.
UTS vice-chancelllor, Prof Datuk Dr Khairuddin Abdul Hamid said under the MoU, both parties will set the criteria for eligibility and also formalise the selection process. — DayakDaily
