CM: Sabah allocates RM164 mln for human capital development under 13MP

KOTA KINABALU (March 5): Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor said the state government has allocated RM164.01 million for human capital development programmes in Sabah under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).

Hajiji said human capital development remains a priority as part of efforts to develop youth towards achieving progress and excellence.

“The fields of skills development and youth empowerment will be strengthened through the expansion of scholarships and education assistance,” he said at the opening of the Teachers’ Training Programme for the SMJ Robotics Competition at SJKC Lok Yuk on Thursday.

His speech was delivered by Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk James Ratib.

The Chief Minister said priority areas include the empowerment of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the strengthening of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), agricultural training and digital technology, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) literacy.

Hajiji said the state government continuously supports efforts to expand access to quality education in a broader, more inclusive manner, particularly initiatives that elevate STEM and innovation as a learning culture in schools.

“We want to ensure programmes like this are implemented in an orderly and systematic manner through close collaboration among education authorities, schools, communities and strategic partners, so that teachers receive the necessary support and students can enjoy meaningful learning experiences,” he said.

In this context, he said the teachers’ training programme is significant because students will be better prepared to understand technology, build confidence and produce useful innovations when their teachers are empowered with the right skills and tools.

“This programme does not merely introduce robotics as an additional activity, but adopts a more structured approach through an implementation model in schools.

“This includes minimum infrastructure requirements, the use of robotics kits, learning platforms, as well as train-the-trainer teacher training to ensure effective implementation,” he said.

Hajiji said the use of the Leanbot robotic kit as the main learning tool, supporting the integration of physical training and simulation through Digital Twin, along with training accessories such as Field Track/Field Model for testing activities and robotics challenges in the classroom, represents an important hands-on approach.

“It helps students learn through the experience of building, testing, making improvements and ultimately understanding concepts more deeply, rather than merely memorising theory,” he said.