Increased students intakes at state-owned varsities

FOUR Sarawak state-owned universities, namely Curtin University, Swinburne University, University of Technology Sarawak and iCATS University College have seen a significant increase in enrolment this past year.

Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee said the increase in enrolment ranges from 60 per cent to 300 per cent due to the introduction of affordable fee structures, especially for deserving students.

He said the state-owned universities remained attractive for international students.

“Currently there are 735 students from various countries, namely Sweden, African nations, South Asia, China and neighbouring Asean countries,” he said when delivering his ministry’s winding up speech in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) today.

In addition, Sagah said, the Sarawak Skills Development Centre (Sarawak Skills) is expanding its operations in line with the needs for skills training.

Sarawak Skills Sri Aman (SSSA) branch is currently in the final phase of development. It is expected to begin operations by the first quarter of 2024 and will have a capacity of 145 students, with hostels that can accommodate up to about 90 students.

He said SSSA will offer community-driven development programmes and courses in electrical, digital skills, smart agriculture, culinary arts and fashion design.

“I envision that the establishment of SSSA will become a means to bridge the educational and economic gap of its local populace,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Centre of Technical Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) has also been entrusted with extending its students intake to non-Sarawakians from Malaya, Sabah and Labuan.

The move follows the announcement of RM30 million by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for the purpose.

“Centexs will initiate the intake when the funds are made available by the first quarter next year,” he added.