By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Nov 21: The Sarawak government will continue to assist Sarawakian students in repaying their National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans with RM30 million set aside under the Sarawak Budget 2023.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the allocation would serve as assistance for the repayment of PTPTN loans for Sarawakian graduates who have repaid more than 30 per cent of their loans through the provision of the 30 per cent loan repayment discount as an incentive for settlement of outstanding loan balance.
“To date, this incentive has benefited 11,095 Sarawakian graduates,” he said when tabling the Supply (2023) Bill 2022 in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today.
The PTPTN loan repayment assistance was among the various educational assistance programmes alongside the RM40 million operating grant to Centre of Technology Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) and RM20 million for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for operations of SeDidik which now has 98 tadika (kindergartens) and taska (nurseries).
Other assistance include RM15 million annual grant to 3,000 ECCE institutions which will benefit more than 80,000 children in Sarawak, RM13.7 million for scholarships and loans for students, RM10 million for free tuition programme, and RM1.95 million for the One-Stop Early Intervention Centre (OSEIC) Sarawak to ensure children with disabilities have access to education.
Abang Johari further said the Sarawak government had set aside RM28 million allocation for the establishment of learning institutions and resource centres next year, namely the establishment of SeDidik new preschools throughout the State to cater for children from low-income families with an allocation of RM20 million; Advanced Automotive Training Centre with an allocation of RM7 million; and establishment of village libraries in small towns in Sarawak with an allocation of RM1 million.
He also said RM1 million would be provided for the State’s implementation of the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (Dual Language Programme or DLP) next year. Sarawak has spent more than RM13 million on the programme since 2019.
Additionally, the first State-owned International School in Kuching, which opened in April this year, will receive RM8 million to cover operating expenses.
He also updated the august House that the second international school located at Mile 12, Kuching-Serian Road costing about RM58 million and funded under Alternative Funding, is nearing completion, where it is expected to start operations by 2024. The other three international schools in Sibu, Miri, and Bintulu will follow suit from 2025 onwards.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) has also been provided with an allocation of RM3 million to continue the upskilling and reskilling of teachers and school leaders.
“An additional sum of RM1.3 million will be provided in 2023 to cultivate ICT know-how among teachers and students,” he elaborated. — DayakDaily
