FTES Financial Assistance Opens Golden Opportunity For B40 Sarawakian Children To Pursue Higher Education
SIBU: The Sarawak Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) has proven to play an important role in easing the financial burden of low-income (B40) families in Sarawak in sending their children to institutions of higher learning.
The benefits of the special aid scheme were voiced by one of its recipients, Elizbeth Sawai Joseph, who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with Honours at the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS).
According to Elizbeth, the financial assistance channelled by the government successfully removed the biggest obstacle her family faced in enabling her to continue her studies.
"When I found out I was one of the FTES recipients, I felt very happy and grateful because this could ease the burden on my parents.
"The biggest challenge to continuing my studies was, firstly, in terms of finances. So of course, with the assistance given by the government, it could ease the financial burden on my parents," she said.
She was met by UKAS after receiving the offer through a symbolic presentation ceremony conducted by Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg in conjunction with the launch of the Sarawakku Sayang (SKS) Programme at Sibu Division level at Dataran Tun Tuanku Haji Bujang, on Saturday.
Commenting on the importance of the scheme, Elizbeth described FTES as a key driver that opens up higher education opportunities for Sarawakian children, particularly those from the B40 group who aspire to further their studies but face financial constraints.
"The importance of FTES to Sarawakian students is that it can help those in the B40 group. Secondly, of course, there are many students or people out there who want to continue their studies.
"This is one opportunity we should seize, because it is very rarely offered nowadays. So we have to grab this opportunity," she said.
Elizbeth's success in furthering her studies to degree level at UTS also created personal history, as she became the first person in her family to achieve this.
This achievement fulfils the dream of both her parents, who previously did not have the opportunity to set foot in institutions of higher learning.
"My parents' response was that they felt very touched and happy. Because they themselves never got this far, so they are very proud. It's as if I am fulfilling their own chance to pursue higher education," Elizbeth said.
As a token of appreciation for the state government's support, the first-semester student affirmed her determination to study diligently and not take things lightly, while also managing her time well to adapt to the university learning environment, which differs from the diploma level.
"I would like to thank the Sarawak Government for giving me this opportunity," she said. -UKASnews
