Free education: Emulate Sarawak, Malaya told

KUCHING: An academic has suggested that the rest of the nation follow in the footsteps of Sarawak to offer free education.

Universiti Teknologi MARA board chairman Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Raduan Che Rose said what Sarawak is doing for its citizens is a “very noble act”.

“I got the opportunity to meet and talk to the state Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee who mentioned that the Sarawak government is planning to provide free education to Sarawakians.

“I highly commend the state government’s aspiration. It is also time for other states to consider and adopt a similar model,” he said.

He was speaking reporters during a special interview at Riverside Majestic Hotel here recently.

On the free education mechanism, Dr Raduan believed that the Sarawak government will set aside a special budget for the targeted group.

“The cost of implementing such an initiative will be there, and I think the state government will provide the funding to institutions of higher learning to offer their programme to the students,” he said, adding that Sarawak is ahead of the other states in many aspects.

“For instance, in the development of schools, the state government has set side RM1 billion to repair dilapidated schools and subsequently received federal funds from Putrajaya; this is a very smart strategy,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sarawak is looking at the possibility of offering free tertiary education to Sarawakians by 2026.

In October, Abang Johari said the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development was conducting a study to assess the feasibility of providing free tertiary education.

“Our plan is to make tertiary education at state-owned universities free for eligible Sarawakians.

“Based on their findings, insya-Allah, I feel that under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) in 2025 or 2026, we will be able to provide free tertiary education to Sarawakians,” he said.

Abang Johari added that the free tertiary education initiative could be implemented by 2026, as he believed that the state’s economy will improve further by that time.