By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 16: The Sarawak government is expected to begin disbursing a special RM1,200 allowance for Sarawakian students enrolled in higher learning institutions (IPT) across Malaysia by mid-2025.
According to a Suara Sarawak news report, Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD) Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn said the financial assistance will be disbursed in stages via the S Pay Global e-wallet application, rather than in a lump sum, to promote responsible spending.
“This initiative aims to ease students’ financial burdens and will be released in phases,” he was quoted as saying.
Sagah made the remarks after officiating the Kota Samarahan STEM Innovation Competition (PinKS@UiTM 2025) at Dewan Jubli, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sarawak Campus yesterday (April 15).
The minister added that the topic was also brought up during the recent ‘Ngabas Anak Sarawak’ student engagement programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang.
On a related note, when asked about the potential expansion of free education to public university students — particularly at UiTM Sarawak — under the second phase of implementation, Sagah said the focus should remain on successfully carrying out the first phase first.
During the Lan Berambeh Anak Sarawak event in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 19 last year, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg announced a special financial assistance initiative in the form of ‘pocket money’ for Sarawakian students enrolled in higher learning institutions across Malaysia.
In his Sarawak Budget 2025 speech on Nov 11 last year, Abang Johari further announced that all Sarawakian students in higher learning institutions across Malaysia, regardless of their family’s income, would be eligible to receive RM1,200 in annual ‘pocket money’ from the Sarawak government. — DayakDaily
