By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Sept 13: The Sarawak government will offer a scholarship to Politeknik Kuching Sarawak’s (PKS) best student Sonia Tay Yee via Yayasan Sarawak to further her studies.
Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg announced this during a press conference after PKS’s 30th Convocation Ceremony at Imperial Hotel here today.
“The graduate who was presented with Academic and Co-curricular Excellence Awards for the PKS 2021/2022 Session, Sonia Tay, I asked her whether she would further her studies in a higher learning institution and she said she would.
“Hence, we will give her a scholarship through Yayasan Sarawak for her to further her studies in either a local university or any university that she has applied for via Unit Pengambilan Universiti (UPU),” he said.
UPU is a centralised platform that manages the application process for public universities, polytechnics, community colleges and Public Skills Training Institutes (ILKAs) in Malaysia.
Abang Johari also revealed that he had spoken with Sonia’s father, Tay Choon Cheng, and assured him that the government will offer Sonia a place in a State-owned university if she is unable to get into a university of her choice through UPU.
“If she didn’t get the university under UPU, we will give her placement under Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak in Kuching or University of Technology Sarawak in Sibu, and we will give a scholarship to her,” he added.
At the convocation, the 22-year-old Sonia graduated with a Diploma of Accountancy.
She was joined by her 62-year-old father and sister Tay Hui Yan on stage to receive the scroll and award from Abang Johari.
Sonia, the fourth of five siblings, hails from Pantu, Sri Aman. Currently her family resides in Kuching.
Her father who is a retired contractor, often travels back and forth to Pantu to visit her 86-year-old grandmother who runs a convenience store in their hometown. — DayakDaily
