Petronas’ Wakalah Zakat initiative supports 1,500 S’wak students with back-to-school aid

KUCHING (Jan 18): A total of 1,500 students in Kuching, Bintulu, and Miri have received education assistance under the ‘Wakalah Zakat Back-to-School 2026’ programme, an initiative by the Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas).

The assistance, which included RM300 in financial aid, was distributed to eligible recipients through their schools’ Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) accounts.

Several first-time beneficiaries from Kuching expressed their gratitude when met after a handover ceremony, held at Wisma Sabati here yesterday.

Mohd Ishaq Iskandar, 39, said the assistance has eased his family’s financial burden and expressed hope that similar initiatives would continue in the future.

“Through assistance such as the Wakalah Zakat Education Aid, I hope our children can continue their academic journey and have the opportunity to pursue tertiary education,” he said.

Mohd Ishaq received the aid on behalf of his son, Mohd Lukman Hakim, who is currently in Primary 4.

Meanwhile, Siti Nurashikin Ahmad Kamaludin Shah said the education aid had helped her purchase school supplies for her son, Muammar Hazim Fikri, a Primary 5 pupil.

“As a housewife, the RM300 financial aid really eases my financial burden,” said the 36-year-old housewife, adding that she was informed by the school of her son’s eligibility for the assistance.

Another recipient, Sapiah Mat Nor, 60, who received the aid for her granddaughter, Hidayah Nur Fatihah, a Primary 6 pupil, expressed her appreciation to Petronas for the support.

“The contribution we received included school supplies such as water bottles, stationery, and financial aid,” she said, noting that she has been caring for her granddaughter since she was young.

She added that she hoped her granddaughter would continue to receive education assistance in the future to support her academic journey.