Chong questions GPS on ‘broken promise’ of free tertiary education for Sarawakians

KUCHING (Aug 29): The ‘free tertiary education not for all courses’ statement by Sarawak Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn recently came as a shock to Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen.

The state Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government should not backtrack on its promise of offering free tertiary education for all Sarawakians studying at all state-owned higher learning institutions.

He said this promise had been repeatedly raised by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and other GPS leaders over the past year.

“For the past one year, Abang Jo and all the GPS leaders have repeatedly told Sarawakians that the Sarawak government will provide free education for all Sarawakians studying in the four universities owned by the state government by 2026,” Chong said in a statement today.

The four Sarawak-owned universities are Curtin University Malaysia Sarawak Campus, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, University Technology Sarawak, and i-CATS University College.

Chong quoted Abang Johari as saying: “By the year 2026, whether they are poor or rich, they will receive free tertiary education as long as they are eligible to study at the state-owned institutions.”

Chong, who is also Padungan assemblyman, said it was expected that some 25,000 Sarawakian students would benefit from such policy.

“However, even before the plan was implemented, it shocked many to read Roland Sagah’s statement, saying that free tertiary education is ‘not’ for all courses,” he said.

“The excuse that Sagah had provided was that some courses do not have high potential for employment opportunities, and this is just a lame excuse.

“If the government was of the view that certain courses have little potential for employment opportunity, then the universities should enrol fewer students for such courses in the first place,” he said, adding that they could work on to estimate the total costs of the programme.

He said for the estimated figure of 25,000 students studying in the four universities and one higher learning centre, with the exception of medical and dentistry degrees; the average annual cost of an art degree is approximately RM20,000, while the average science degree with laboratory work is approximately RM30,000.

“Take the mean figure of RM25,000 per annum for 25,000 students, the estimated costs of providing free education for all the 25,000 Sarawakians students per annum will be approximately RM625 million per year.

“Given that the state has an annual revenue of more than RM10 billion, one would expect that the state government can afford to spend this sum, and afterall, it is for Sarawakians,” he said, and questioned if the government is prepared and willing to spend this amount.

The GPS government, Chong said, should therefore be transparent and forthcoming on the reason for such backtrack.

“If no good reason is provided, then proceed with the promise of providing free tertiary education for all,” he said, adding that such assistance could even be extended to any university in Sarawak, not just state-owned higher learning institutions.