Activist calls for clarity of free tertiary education scheme

KUCHING (Dec 25): The Sarawak government should clarify whether there are any conditions that may lead to the termination of financial support under the Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES).

In highlighting this matter, social activist Voon Shiak Ni acknowledged the FTES, launched by the Sarawak government, as a progressive and people-centric initiative meant to help families overcome financial barriers in sending their children to pursue tertiary education.

However, he also noted that questions had emerged over whether this financial support was unconditional, or if there were circumstances that could result in this assistance being withdrawn.

She said the concerns stemmed from existing sponsorships and scholarships, such as those administered by the Public Service Department (JPA) and a number of foundations, where continued financial support would depend on students meeting the minimum academic requirements.

“For instance, JPA assistance may be terminated if a recipient fails to achieve the required academic standards, making the support conditional on performance throughout the studies,” she said in a statement.

Voon stressed that this issue was particularly significant for students enrolling in private institutions such as Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS), Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Curtin University Malaysia and i-CATS University College, where the tuition fees were considerably higher than those at public universities like Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).

“Many parents are concerned that if FTES includes termination criteria and assistance is withdrawn midway through a course, they may be left facing substantial tuition fees at private institutions that may not be affordable.”

Voon therefore urged the relevant authorities to clarify whether such conditions existed with regard to the FTES.

“Such clarification is crucial for parents and students to make informed decisions on their tertiary education pathways,” she added.