KOTA KINABALU: Obtaining a proper education will pave the way to a better future for Bumiputeras, especially the poor in Sabah, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.
It is therefore important that the Bumiputeras have good access to higher learning institutes, he said at the presentation of the letter of offer to study in UiTM Sabah ceremony yesterday.
Education, Musa said in his speech which was delivered by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister cum Sabah Education Exco Datuk Masidi Manjun can assist in the state’s poverty eradication programme.
“While we see a lot of highly educated Bumiputeras who are successful in the corporate sector, business sector and the public sector, the Government noticed that there are many of them who are still under the poverty level.
“This has resulted in the high unemployment rate,” he said, adding that the high rate of poverty is connected to the level of each individual’s education level.
In view of this, UiTM especially UiTM Sabah has a big responsibility and that is to educate and guide the younger generation, Musa said.
UiTM can equip the Bumiputeras with the necessary skills so that they can be absorbed into the state and country’s socio-economic development, he pointed out and lauded UiTM for implementing its “Mengubah Destinasi Anak Bangsa” (MDAB) programme for the poor students so that they are able to continue their studies at the higher learning institute.
“With financial assistance from the Government and UiTM, being poor is no longer a reason why the students cannot get a university education,” he stressed.
Meanwhile Masidi while delivering the speech explained that UiTM graduates are very marketable in the workforce.
Some are snapped up immediately after graduation unlike graduates from other higher learning institutes who are still unemployed, he said.
“So if your child is offered a place at UiTM, don’t reject it because graduates from UiTM are always in demand,” Masidi said.
Yesterday, about 100 students received the offer for the MDAB programme in the pre-science and pre-commerce courses.
Two of those who accepted UiTM’s offer to study at the university are Abdul Malek Abdul Wahab and Jane Chantal Pain.
Abdul Malek, 18, from Sepanggar will be taking his Diploma in Accounting while Jane Chantal will be taking Business studies.
For Abdul Malek, it was a bitter sweet occasion as the youth did not have his parents with him to share the joy and good news.
“My parents were killed in an accident when I was about nine years old,” he said, adding his aunt brought him and his two siblings up.
Abdul Malek, who is the youngest of three, added that his brother, who is the eldest is now working with a bank and his sister is studying at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
Jane Chantal, the eldest of three girls, was happy because UiTM has always been her first choice when she applied for a place in the local universities.
“I was shocked because I didn’t expect to get in but now that I am, I want to work hard and achieve something… if possible be the top student in the university,” said the 18-year-old aspiring lawyer.