Citizens Urged To Utilise Endowment Fund Sarawak Initiative
KOTA SAMARAHAN: Children in Sarawak’s rural areas have been identified as those most at risk of missing out on the benefits of the Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS) initiative.
Despite the initiative providing an allocation of RM1,000 for every Sarawakian birth, a significant number of parents have yet to open the required accounts for the fund.
Sarawak Minister for Women, Early Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, stated that the Sarawak government initiative was specifically established to assist families facing financial constraints, particularly in the interior and rural regions, by making early preparations for their children’s education.
“The Endowment Fund Sarawak is a vital mechanism to help Sarawakian children, especially those from rural areas, possess basic savings when they reach the age of 18," the Minister remarked. "It can be utilised to further their studies or skills training, thereby opening opportunities to break free from the cycle of hardship.”
She made these comments to the media during the official opening ceremony of the Chegu Aiman Gold & Gadget branch in Kota Samarahan on Saturday.
The Minister added that starting in 2026, the management of the Endowment Fund Sarawak will be handled via Affin Bank. The fund will adopt a savings and investment approach based on gold to ensure the fund's value grows, providing more meaningful returns to recipients, particularly children from low-income families.
However, participation levels among parents have yet to reach the state government’s target of at least 80 per cent of all new births in Sarawak. A lack of awareness and information constraints in rural areas have been identified as the primary factors behind this shortfall.
“Many rural parents are still unaware that this fund exists or believe the application process is complicated," Dato Sri Fatimah explained. "In reality, this fund is the right of every Sarawakian child, and the state government wants to ensure it is accessible to everyone, regardless of their location.”
Consequently, the state government is intensifying its collaboration with hospitals and health clinics, including those in remote areas, to enable the registration of the Sarawak Endowment Fund immediately upon birth. Both manual and digital application options are also being provided to facilitate the process.
She emphasised that the Endowment Fund Sarawak is not merely financial assistance, but a long-term investment in the state's human capital development. It is designed to ensure that rural children are not left behind in accessing higher education.
“This initiative is a proactive step to ensure that financial backgrounds do not become a barrier to the education of Sarawak's children," she said. "However, its success depends on the awareness and actions of parents to seize the opportunities provided.” - UKASnews
