10,000 IPT students to receive free laptops under Sarawak assistance programme second phase

KUCHING (Feb 11): About 10,000 students from higher learning institutions (IPT) are set to receive free laptops under the second phase of the Sarawak government’s Free Laptop Assistance Programme this year.

Chief political secretary to the Sarawak Premier, Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman, said the second phase has begun, with vouchers credited to eligible students for laptop purchases.

He noted that the initiative builds on the success of earlier phases in 2024 and 2025, which benefited 20,009 IPT students with allocations totalling RM61 million.

“This programme represents the second group of recipients,” he said according to Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas).

“For the first group, distribution was carried out in 2025 involving more than 5,000 recipients, and today, another 5,000 laptops are distributed to new recipients,” he told reporters after a courtesy call on Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg at the Satria Pertiwi Complex here.

Including the latest distribution, the total allocation for 2025 stands at approximately RM30 million.

“Last year, the government distributed laptops with a total allocation value of RM28.7 million,” he said.

During the event, Abang Johari symbolically presented laptops to five students representing their respective IPTs: Nursyaridah Aleeyah Mohd Ali and Muhammad Halqim Masrah from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas); Karen Bong Kai Hui from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus; Jayviques Paran from i-CATS University College; and Elister Edwards Erim from Politeknik Kuching Sarawak.

Fazzrudin, who is also a board member of Yayasan Sarawak, added that beyond the free laptop initiative, the state government continues to provide various forms of assistance to support Sarawakian students in their studies, including free book vouchers, special financial aid, free school transportation services, and school uniform assistance.

Regarding the Sarawak Graduate Return Initiative (IGPS), he assured that the programme will continue this year.

“Each year, we allocate RM8 million for the implementation of this programme, and thankfully the allocation has been fully utilised annually by applicants,” he said.

He said the initiative is projected to involve about 22,000 trips annually, benefiting roughly 10,000–11,000 students.