In Kota Kinabalu, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor stated that Sabah’s commitment to human capital development is evident through the allocation of RM474.55mil next year. The Chief Minister emphasized that this budget is a priority for human capital development programmes, including scholarships and education grants.
Hajiji also mentioned that the state government has implemented various initiatives to ease the financial burden of students pursuing tertiary education. One such initiative is the one-off cash assistance provided to help students pay for their registration fees under the Bantuan Pendaftaran IPT (Budi) programme.
These initiatives are in place because the welfare and needs of students are at the forefront of the state government’s agenda. Hajiji expressed these views during the closing ceremony of the inter-private higher education institution (IPTS) Games (Masiswa Games) Sabah Zone 2023 at the University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) on Saturday.
As the Chancellor of UCSF, Hajiji also urged undergraduates to continue supporting the state’s development process through the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) plan. Additionally, the Chief Minister fully supported the university’s plan to establish campuses outside of Kota Kinabalu.
Hajiji also shared that Masiswa is an excellent platform for shaping the “thinking athlete”. Recently, 1,600 athletes and officials from 17 institutions participated in a four-day event at UCSF, competing in nine events.
The Chief Minister praised the cooperation and involvement of private higher education institutions (IPTS) in Sabah, encouraging them to maintain their collaboration and sportsmanship.
