By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 11: The Sarawak government, through Yayasan Sarawak, continues to empower digital education with the distribution of more than 10,000 laptops to higher education students, with the second phase alone involving an allocation of RM17 million.
In a TVS news, Chief Political Secretary to the Sarawak Premier and Trustee of the Sarawak Foundation, Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman,s aid the distribution is being carried out in phases, with the first batch already given to eligible recipients.
“In 2025, we distributed around 5,000 laptops. Today, we are distributing another 5,000 units, bringing this year’s total recipients to over 10,000,” he said during a symbolic handover to five student representatives, witnessed by Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg at the Satria Pertiwi Complex today.
The second phase will see around 5,700 students receiving laptops, with the distribution process carried out through the S-Pay Global platform immediately following the symbolic handover.
This initiative builds on the programme’s first phase, which began in 2024 and benefited over 20,000 students, with total funding nearing RM60 million, reinforcing Sarawak’s commitment to nurturing digitally skilled and highly capable human capital.
Yayasan Sarawak director Datu Mohamad Junaidi Mohidin said the foundation also expands educational access through scholarships, education loans, and free higher education at government-owned institutions.
“This year, we have introduced free education at four government-owned higher learning institutions in Sarawak. Feedback has been very encouraging, reflected in rising student enrollments,” he said.
He added that growth is particularly strong in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields, signaling parents’ and students’ confidence in the State’s education policies.
The free higher education initiative is a strategic move to strengthen human capital in line with the Sarawak Maju Makmur 2030 vision and the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030), which emphasise a technology- and innovation-driven economy. — DayakDaily
