KUCHING, Oct 10: Sarawak will not roll out its free tertiary education initiative in 2024, as proper execution will require more planning before its scheduled implementation in 2026.
Chief Political Secretary to Sarawak Premier Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman has refuted such a call by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak deputy chairman Senator Abun Sui Anyit, as planning is key, he explained.
“This (initiative) requires taking into account the financial performance and capability of the Sarawak government not only at present but also in the future for the programme to be sustainable and benefit young Sarawakians who are studying at Sarawak’s own education institutions.
“An enabler to fulfilling this long-term vision is through the establishment of the Sarawak Sovereign Wealth Fund which will only by operational starting next year. This fund’s key objective is safeguarding the interests of Sarawak and its future generations.
“Planning is key as we do not want this initiative to be a one-off incentive or be implemented on a piecemeal basis but instead, be a long-standing policy whereby education is a key priority for the Sarawak government and through it, we are able to fulfil the democratisation of education in Sarawak,” Fazzrudin said in a statement today.
He was responding to Sarawak PKR deputy chairman Senator Abun Sui Anyit’s recent statement who called on the Sarawak government to roll out the initiative by next year, instead of 2026.
The free tertiary education refers to the initiative announced by the Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to allow Sarawakians to study for free in any five State-owned learning institutions and is slated for implementation in 2026.
Fazzrudin who is also Tupong assemblyman and Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member, further said that efforts to make education more accessible to the people of Sarawak is already in place whereby scholarships and bursaries are offered through Yayasan Sarawak to students to reduce their family’s burden.
Through Yayasan Sarawak, the state government led by the Premier has also introduced a 30 per cent discount for National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) repayment for borrowers.
“Perhaps Senator Abun Sui can offer the Federal government some advice on realising the vision of free education through his observations of the Sarawak model by devising the necessary mechanism for it to take shape,” he added. — DayakDaily
