40 SPM high achievers get Petronas scholarships

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Maychelle (centre) her proud mum and dad. The 9A's achiever from Tambunan said she studied from midnight to 3am daily.

Maychelle (centre) her proud mum and dad. The 9A’s achiever from Tambunan said she studied from midnight to 3am daily.

KOTA KINABALU: Forty Sabahan school leavers who excelled in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) were yesterday awarded with the Petronas scholarships under its flagship Petronas Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP).

Those selected were among the 391 successful candidates selected from a pool of more than 7,500 applicants for the scholarships this year.

The scholarships were presented by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun who was representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman at a ceremony held at the Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa.

Also gracing the event were Petronas chairman Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan and Petronas senior vice president of Group Human Resource Management, Dato Raiha Azni Abd Rahman.

In Musa’s speech which was read by Masidi, he said the state government lauded Petronas’ initiative for its continued commitment and consistency in carrying out its social responsibility as a corporate citizen.

He added that Petronas had provided sponsorship to five Trust Schools in Kimanis through its collaboration with Yayasan Amir.

“With all the contributions, including the education sponsorship today, I am confident that this will help the government’s effort to create students who will excel as the future of the country,” he said.

He also said he was pleased that so many corporate organisations were coming forward to help in efforts to develop the state in the various fields particularly in human capital and in education.

“In the context of this sponsorship, I commend the high commitment shown by Petronas in spite of the bearish global economic challenge following the drop in the world fuel price.

Petronas has continued to care about the importance of education and the future of students in the state by providing various assistances, sponsorships and initiatives,” he said.

He then urged all the recipients to make full use of the award received and to work hard.

“Let the award be a catalyst for you to reach further excellence in the next education stage,” he said.

Meanwhile, Masidi, in his own capacity also mentioned the upcoming education project that would be established in Ranau as a result of Petronas sponsorship.

The project he was referring to is the construction of Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) which received full sponsorship from Petronas.

“Thank you for the generosity… the site for the school has already been identified. The school will have its back facing Mount Kinabalu and its front to Ranau town … I urge Petronas to continue investing in education,” he said.

Sidek, in his speech promised that Petronas would continue to contribute to the people of Sabah through its long-term Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives that focus on education, community well-being and development, and environment.

“Our event today is to honour and celebrate the success of Sabah’s young talents as well as to continue the momentum of our strategic educational collaborations with various stakeholders aimed at providing a long-term positive impact,” he said.

This year, Petronas is allocating RM110 million to fund the studies of the 391 scholarship recipients who will pursue tertiary studies in chemical engineering, petroleum engineering, mechanical engineering, geophysics, finance, law and other industry-related courses at Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) as well as universities in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Under the PESP, Petronas will support the students beginning from foundation studies up to their first bachelor degree.

Since its inception in 1975, PESP has benefited close to 35,800 students with an estimated investment value of more than RM3 billion.

At the same event, Masidi also presented 18 sponsorships to deserving Sabahan students studying at three Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) in Sabah. The sponsorship under the Program Budi-Petronas, includes yearly allowances to pay for learning materials, uniforms and other basic needs of the recipients.

To date, some 150 MRSM students in Sabah have benefited from the programme.

Petronas also presented sponsorship certificates to five selected schools, namely SK Kimanis, SK Pekan Kimanis, SK Mandahan, SMKA Limauan and SMK Bongawan 2 under the Trust School Programme, a collaboration between Petronas and Yayasan Amir.

The programme, under the management of the Education Ministry, aims to support a sustainable education transformation by focusing on excellence and the development of well rounded students.

Petronas has contributed RM10 million to the programme to date.

The company also awarded sponsorships to 18 selected trainees who are currently attending vocational training under the Vista programme at IKM Kota Kinabalu and Kolej Teknikal Yayasan Sabah.

Meanwhile, one of the PESP recipients, Maychelle R. Mool, 18, from Tambunan was emotional after receiving the scholarship, stating that many people did not believe she could achieve outstanding result in her SPM last year due to her active participation in sports.

Maychelle added that she diligently studied from midnight to 3am daily and was awarded with 9As in her SPM examination.

She was accompanied by her mother, Thersia Robin and her father, Roger George Mool, at the ceremony.