No students rejecting Sarawak’s Free Tertiary Education Scheme, says Sagah

KUCHING (Jan 29): Sarawak’s Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) is recording encouraging uptake across higher learning institutions, with no reports to date of students declining the aid, said State Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn.

Speaking to reporters after officiating the Asia Pacific Aerospace Conference and Exhibition (Apace) 2026 closing ceremony, Sagah said i-CATS University College is currently the only institution accepting new intakes under the FTES initiative for January 2026.

He said 28 students have enrolled in the aerospace engineering programme at i-CATS.

“ICATS also offers programmes under science and engineering, as well as finance and accountancy and psychology, which are all covered under the FTES framework,” he said, adding that enrolment figures across these programmes are still being consolidated.

Sagah stressed that the FTES support is not limited to first-year students, but also extends to those in their second and third years of study, and up to the fourth year for programmes with a four-year duration.

“In total, across all participating institutions, we estimate that about 5,000 students are currently benefiting from FTES,” he said.

Sagah also clarified that the scheme applies only to students who are not receiving scholarships.

“This is to avoid any overlap in assistance,” he added.