Growing stress, AI threats lead Sarawak to include psychology in Free Tertiary Education Scheme

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By Amanda L

KUCHING, Jan 31: The Sarawak government has included psychology among the 64 programmes offered under its Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES), citing growing societal stress and potential risks from artificial intelligence (AI), says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

Speaking at the opening of Yayasan Sarawak International Secondary School (YSISS) Kuching today, he warned that modern life is becoming increasingly complex, with new social challenges emerging from technology misuse.

“Life today is more stressful, and AI, if misused, can create serious societal problems,” he said, stressing the need for young Sarawakians to acquire the knowledge and skills to navigate these challenges.

Abang Johari also highlighted that studying psychology will equip students to understand human behaviour, manage stress and respond to evolving societal threats including cyber-related crimes and AI-driven scams.

“If there are many scams, you need cyber analytics—it’s a new field.

“You have to learn more about AI. This is also a new societal problem, a new type of crime. In other words, you need to study this particular area in depth,” he added.

The FTES currently covers a total of 64 programmes, providing Sarawakian students from all backgrounds the opportunity to pursue higher education at State-owned institutions namely i-CATS University College, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), Curtin University Malaysia and Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak. — DayakDaily

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