RM200 Million For FTES To Expand Sarawak Students' Access To Higher Education
KUCHING: The RM200 million allocation under the Sarawak 2027 Budget to continue the Sarawak Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) is expected to expand access to higher education for Sarawak students while easing the financial burden on families.
Batu Kitang Assemblyman Dato Ir Lo Khere Chiang said the scheme was expected to benefit up to 10,600 students through tuition fee waivers and special allowances for eligible recipients.
“This is another encouraging step towards an inclusive approach to education, recognising diverse educational pathways and ensuring that eligible Sarawak students have the opportunity to pursue higher education,” he said.
He was speaking during the debate on the Supply (2027) Bill, 2026 at the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly Sitting on Wednesday.
He added that FTES also provided opportunities for holders of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) to benefit from the scheme without the requirement to pass Bahasa Melayu, subject to the admission requirements of their respective universities and study programmes.
He said this inclusive approach could help ease families’ financial constraints while providing greater opportunities for eligible Sarawak students to pursue higher education.
Meanwhile, he emphasised the importance of English proficiency and strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, as well as technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
He explained that these fields were essential for developing a highly skilled workforce to meet the needs of future industries, particularly in renewable energy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) and high technology. -UKASnews
