Hajiji
KOTA KINABALU (Nov 20): The State Government does not want any children in Sabah to be left out from receiving proper education, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor.
To this end the State Government implements initiatives to ensure that the people of this state receive quality education, he said at the handing over ceremony of the Majlis Amanah Rakyat’s (MARA) Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) Ranau on Monday.
According to Hajiji, the MRSM Ranau which was funded by Petronas will admit students for the 2024 session and this move will help boost education in Sabah, especially in rural areas of the state.
“Therefore, the state government is very proud because Petronas has successfully realized the MRSM Ranau project, which can accommodate about 450 students, and it provides various state-of-the-art learning facilities that will be managed by MARA.
“Through the Sabah Human Capital Development-Petronas Agenda, we can see Petronas’ high support and commitment to the state government in helping to produce competitive and high-quality students, especially technocrats and science professionals skilled in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), which are part of Sabah’s aspirations,” he said.
Hajiji’s speech was read by the State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Masidi Manjun.
Hajiji pointed out that Petronas’ contribution in the field of education should be recognized and appreciated because they have always been committed to contributing to human capital development in Sabah.
According to him, through the setting up of the Human Capital Development and State Affairs Committee, cooperation with Petronas will be intensified to enhance professionalism, develop capabilities and provide opportunities to improve skills.
Hajiji said that this initiative is very positive as it aligns with the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development plan to produce quality, competitive, highly skilled human capital in technical, scientific and technological fields to meet the needs of the industry in the future.
“Undoubtedly, the establishment of MRSM Ranau can open up broad opportunities for local students to pursue science and academic specialization to ensure more of our students are engaged in STEM fields.
“I am confident that the concept of MRSM will not only provide the best school facilities but also the best academic staff and will benefit not only Ranau but also the surrounding areas,” he stressed.
Hajiji expressed hoped that the relationship between Petronas and the Sabah state government would continue to be strong in terms of human capital and education development, including infrastructure, academic and scientific content in the state.