732 students benefit from LDP aid this year

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The students and LDP members in a group photo after the ceremony.

KOTA KINABALU: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has disbursed RM80,740 in educational funds to 732 students this year.

LDP Youth leader Chin Shu Ying said the number of beneficiaries for the education fund had increased from 664 students last year.

The party presented RM36,720 in educational funding to 306 students from 10 LDP divisions in the West Coast in a ceremony held here yesterday, namely Api-Api, Kepayan, Moyog, Sulaman, Inanam, Likas, Karambunai, Petagas, Tanjung Aru and Luyang.

The LDP education fund was set up in 1996 to encourage students to excel academically and to help poor students.

“Although the education fund is only RM120 (per student), we hope this amount would lessen the parents’ burden as school reopens,” he said.

Chin, also Likas divisional chairman, said the LDP Youth and Women have raised up to RM2 million for the fund through organising education runs, singing contests, cultural and annual activities for the past 17 years, and have distributed more than 15,000 financial assistance to students over the years.

“There are certain divisions which fork out their own money and contributed to the education fund for more students to receive the benefits and to encourage more students to work harder academically,” he said.

In his speech, Chin said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government had never neglected the importance of education.

In Budget 2013 unveiled last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that primary and secondary school students would get RM100 financial aid, and public and private higher learning students as well as Form Six students would receive RM250 1Malaysia book vouchers, an increase of RM50 from the previous year.

“All these were given to lessen the burden of lower income families, an effort by the government to be closer and more caring towards the people. I believe the BN government will continue to have more policies that will boost education development,” he said.

As a locally based party, Chin said LDP would continue its fight for Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) to be recognized by the government for independent school students to enter public universities, or even to apply for a job as a civil servant.

“Overcrowding at Chinese primary schools in Kota Kinabalu has always been our concern as well and we will continue to request the government to build another new school in Kota Kinabalu,” he promised.

On another note, Chin said LDP Youth would be holding the party’s 13th education run at SJK(C) Chung Hwa Likas at 6.30am on January 26.

The event, which will be graced by LDP president cum Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Liew Vui Keong, aims to raise RM32,500 in aid of the teacher welfare fund, parents-teachers association (PTA), students in need and smart class for SJK(C) Chung Hwa Likas.

He said LDP Youth had raised more than RM500,000 for Chinese primary schools and Chinese independent schools in the State over the years.

“Although the amount is not massive, we hope such activities could encourage more to do the same for the development of Chinese education,” he said.

Also present were Api-Api division chairman Senator Datuk Chin Su Phin, Kepayan division deputy chairman Johnny Yong, Moyog division chairman Datuk Lim Ming Hoo, Inanam division chairman Yong Wui Chung, Karambunai division chairman Loretto S. Padua Jr @ Damien Padua Jr II, Petagas division chairman Albert Kok Yuk Ken, Tanjung Aru division chairman Datuk Teo Chee Kang and Luyang division chairman Datuk Lee Chuen Wan.