PENAMPANG, Sept 21 — Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor said the state government is planning to provide free education for Sabah students pursuing further studies at state-owned higher learning institutions — University College Yayasan Sabah (UCSF) and Kolej Teknologi Yayasan Sabah (KTYS).
In addition, the state government also intends to introduce a loan subsidy policy, particularly for the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) and Yayasan Sabah loans, to ease students’ debt burden.
“This initiative will benefit more than 100,000 borrowers. I am optimistic that this policy is practical for the state government to implement, in line with the state’s financial position in the future.
“This is proof of the commitment of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government to ensure that more Sabah children receive assistance while guaranteeing access to education.
“That is why the state government places serious emphasis on education and human capital development — because we believe the younger generation reflects the future of our beloved state of Sabah,” he said at the Sabah Undergraduates Convention at the KDCA Hall here today.
The Chief Minister said that since being entrusted to lead Sabah, his administration has given strong focus to education and human capital development.
This commitment has been translated into the SMJ Development Blueprint, an inclusive and comprehensive development plan that has successfully brought significant progress to Sabah, he said.
“Since 2021, the state government has spent more than RM1.3 billion on the education sector. This is the largest allocation in Sabah’s history, marking the government’s strong commitment to youth.
“More than 14 education initiatives have been introduced, among them a one-off RM600 aid for Sabah students pursuing studies in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Labuan through the GRS-SubFly programme, as well as RM300 assistance under the Sentosa initiative for students studying within the state.”
He said the state government has also provided the largest scholarship fund since independence, amounting to RM136 million in 2025, benefiting thousands of students at various levels of study, adding that the Sabah State Education Fund (TPNS) was also established to help students facing financial challenges.
“All this was made possible because the state government has managed to increase the state revenue to a record high. Sabah’s revenue has risen to nearly RM7 billion,” he said.
Besides education, the state government also prioritised people’s welfare through various programmes under the SMJ initiative — among them, the provision of free SMJ Friendly Homes for the hardcore poor and poor groups, and the Sentuhan Kasih Rakyat (Syukur) initiative, which provides monthly assistance of RM300 for 12 months to 100,000 recipients, beginning this year. — The Borneo Post
