Katibas rep calls for setting-up of Yayasan Sarawak office in rural areas

KAPIT (July 28): Yayasan Sarawak should consider establishing offices in the rural constituencies to facilitate students seeking entry into state government-owned institutions of higher education (IPTs), says Lidam Assan.

The Katibas assemblyman believed that such offices would also serve as centres meant to disseminate information on the courses or skills-training programmes available at these IPTs.

“Not all rural students have Internet access, so having such an office in every rural constituency would allow the rural school-leavers to seek the relevant information in helping them decide the next path of their education journey,” he said this when officiating at the one-day Sarawak Education Expo, at the civic centre here yesterday.

Organised by Yayasan Sarawak in collaboration with Kapit Resident’s Office, the expo covered the districts of Kapit, Song and Bukit Mabong.

In commending Yayasan Sarawak for holding the event, Lidam hoped that it would be made an annual affair to help more rural students who were eligible for entry into state-owned IPTs.

Earlier in his speech, the assemblyman called upon all students in this division to always strive towards achieving good results in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations, so that they would be eligible to enter tertiary education.

“All you need to do on your part is to study hard. The Sarawak government is handling the rest by providing free education.

“Poverty is no longer an obstacle or an excuse to not study hard, and I hope our students would grab the opportunity made open by the government,” he said.

Later, Lidam presented certificates of excellence to students from Kapit, Song and Bukit Mabong districts, who scored straight As in their SPM 2023 examinations.

Among those present were Song District officer Harry Bruce and Yayasan Sarawak officer Bethsheba Nassa.