By Karen Bong and Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 25: The Sarawak government will conduct a comprehensive study on the possibility of extending free tertiary education to Sarawakian students pursuing higher education in public universities under the federal government.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said while free tertiary education will begin with Sarawak-owned universities in 2026, his administration is also exploring ways to enable Sarawakians studying in public universities under federal government’s management to benefit from similar assistance.
“We are not rejecting the possibility (of expanding free tertiary education). We will study it carefully to make sure our students can benefit even beyond State-owned universities,” he said during the annual Lan Berambeh Anak Sarawak townhall session with Sarawakian youths held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur, which was broadcasted live through Ukas Channel today.
He informed that the initiative for free tertiary education in Sarawak-owned universities, such as University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), Swinburne University Sarawak and Curtin University Sarawak, will be implemented in stages beginning 2026.
“When we announced this initiative, many students in public universities under the federal government wrote to ask if they would be included. So, in the first stage, we will study how this can be done,” he said.
Responding to a question from a third year law student at Universiti Malaya (UM) from Sarikei, Abang Johari emphasised that extending the policy to federal public universities presents legal and administrative challenges since the Sarawak government does not have direct authority over these institutions.
“For free education in public universities not under Sarawak, we will look for a suitable approach because these universities have their own management and funding structures under the federal government. We need to study seriously how we can intervene as it is not easy,” he said, noting that even Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) falls under federal funding.
Abang Johari stressed that any model adopted by Sarawak would not follow the existing National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan structure, which burdens graduates with debt.
“I don’t want our students to sink into debt at the end of their studies. The Sarawak government is currently allocating RM30 million annually to help pay PTPTN loans for Sarawakian students. We will find a new and suitable way,” he asserted.
He added that the State government is also working to secure fixed quotas for top-performing Sarawakian students to pursue studies at world-renowned institutions such as the London School of Economics (LSE), Cambridge, and Oxford, particularly for postgraduate programmes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, in line with Sarawak’s goal of developing a green economy and exploring the aerospace economy.
Abang Johari assured that the Sarawak remains committed to ensuring equitable access to quality higher education for all Sarawakians.
“In transforming Sarawak’s efforts, one of the areas is building a knowledgeable society so that all Sarawakians have the skills and expertise to contribute to our State’s development,” he said. — DayakDaily
