RM930,680 aid for 23,267 students

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Shafie presenting the mock cheque to the representative from UiTM yesterday. Also seen are Madius (third left) and Dr Yusof (right).

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Government has approved RM930,680 aid for 23,267 students from 40 public and private higher learning institutions in Sabah.

According to the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Shafie Apdal, the funding had been approved on April 8.

During the ceremony to hand over the cheques to five of the 40 tertiary institutes yesterday, he said the State Government had also provided a RM500,000 funding to Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) earlier to lessen the burden of its students.

The five tertiary institutions that received the Sabah Government funding yesterday were Universiti Teknology Mara, Politeknik Kota Kinabalu, Sidma College, IPG Kampus Kent Tuaran and North Borneo University College.

Shafie also said the State Government was also assisting students from Sabah studying abroad.

“We have assisted a student now studying in Egypt and several who are studying in Indonesia,” he said.

At the same time, he also mentioned that he had received a call from a mother from Beluran who is worried about the safety of her child, a Yayasan Sabah-sponsored student who is now studying at one of the red zones in Sarawak.

He said the mother had requested that her child be allowed to return to Sabah due to the situation in Sarawak.

“I have asked Dr Yusof (Yacob, Education and Innovation Minister) and Yayasan Sabah to allow her child to return to Sabah,” Shafie said.

He added however that all returning students would not be allowed to return home (to their family) upon their arrival to the State but would be taken to the quarantine centre where they would stay for a period until they were confirmed negative of Covid-19.

He said that this was a necessary step to ensure to curb the spread of the disease to the community in Sabah.

He said this to reporters after handing over the mock cheques to the five tertiary institutions at the Sabah Government Administrative Building (PPNS) yesterday.

Also present during the media briefing were Dr Yusof, Deputy Chief Minister cum Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau and Sabah State Secretary Datuk Safar Untong.