By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Oct 30: Sarawak’s free tertiary education policy has emerged as a major attraction for international investors, with global technology giant SoftBank expressing interest in making a substantial investment in the State.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said an international businessman who recently met him had expressed interest in expanding into Sarawak’s high-technology sector, particularly microelectronics.
He said what particularly attracted the investor was not merely Sarawak’s renewable energy resources, but the State’s commitment to providing free tertiary education to develop a skilled workforce capable of transforming natural resources into higher-value products.
“He said the thing that attracted him to Sarawak was our free education policy because we have people who can convert our resources into finished products,” he said when officiating the 33rd Sarawak Premier Special Award and Sarawak Education Award 2026 at Hikmah Exchange Event Centre today.
He said he had initially thought the investor would be interested primarily in Sarawak’s energy resources, but was surprised to learn that the State’s education policy was a key consideration.
“He expressed interest to invest, and it was not a small sum. He mentioned that he liked Sarawak’s free education policy. That was his attraction when I thought he might be interested in our energy resources,” he said.
Abang Johari also revealed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had contacted him to ask whether representatives from SoftBank had met him.
He said he informed the Prime Minister that the meeting involved an investment proposal, following which the federal government indicated that it would provide incentives to Sarawak.
The Premier said the investor’s interest reflected the importance of developing human capital alongside investments in infrastructure, energy and technology.
He stressed that Sarawak’s ambition to become a global player in the new economy depended on its ability to produce skilled professionals who could support emerging industries such as microelectronics, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI).
He said these industries required strong foundations in mathematics, additional mathematics, physics and chemistry, making it crucial for Sarawak to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
Abang Johari said Sarawak’s RM200 million allocation under the 2027 Budget for its free tertiary education initiative would benefit approximately 10,000 Sarawakian students across 64 programmes.
The initiative would ensure that students, regardless of race or socioeconomic background, could pursue higher education without financial constraints.
He said the policy was part of Sarawak’s broader strategy to develop its own skilled workforce and ensure that the State’s resources could be transformed into high-value products and industries.
He also emphasised that capable teachers were fundamental to achieving this ambition, as education remained the foundation of the state’s future economic transformation.
“Our future depends on the quality of our children,” he said. — DayakDaily
