Snowdan Lawan
KUCHING: The government has announced new initiatives for Sarawak athletes to further their education even while they strive to be the best on the sports field.
In a press statement yesterday, Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Snowdan Lawan revealed that they are exploring the best avenues for local athletes to study up to at least diploma level with the support from institutions of higher learning in Sarawak.
“The State Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports are always looking for ways to secure a better education opportunities for our deserving athletes who have done well in bringing honour and glory to our state and country,” he said on the state’s government stand on education for the athletes.
“We must provide them with the opportunities to further their education especially after finishing secondary school and this may secure a better future in the job market,” he added.
“Education is still the key to success in life and therefore we must provide such opportunities to our local sportsmen and sportswomen,” said Snowdan who had just completed his 100 days as the State’s assistant minister in charge of youth and sports.
For starters, he announced that athletes who are getting the upcoming Sarawak State Sports Awards are eligible to apply for scholarship incentives currently being offered by a private institute of higher learning with a history of supporting exemplary student athletes.
“The support from the private sector is crucial in sustaining such initiatives and we look forward to working closely with those who are interested to provide education opportunities to our deserving athletes,” he added.
The scholarship offer is “another token of our appreciation to them for making us proud,” he continued while commending the athletes who performed so well in various events including last year’s 18th Sukma and 18th Paralympiad Games.
On the type of diploma course which the athletes may be encouraged to take up, the assistant minister pointed to the field of event management as a good example.
“There have been a number of international sporting events being held the past 100 days when I am in office…this will augur well for the promotion and development of sports and tourism in the state but there is still plenty of work to do at grass root level,” he said on the need for more well-trained professionals to organise events at the community level.
“We are very excited with the prospect of having our own athletes to become qualified event managers once they completed their studies and surely they can become the important agents who will be creating and organising sporting events all over Sarawak,” he added.