Private sector, NGOs contributions needed for scholarships

PUTRAJAYA: The government still needs contributions from the private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in providing scholarships to help raise the quality of the country’s human resources, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister said the scholarships and financial aid provided by the government were not enough because of the huge number of people needing educational aid.

“So the government very much welcomes contributions from the private sector, NGOs and companies that can afford it to help the country produce Malaysians who are well-educated, especially in science and technology,” he said at the launch of the Cheras Education Foundation (CEF) and Utusan Malaysia scholarships here.

He said such initiative should be continued and the effort by the foundation and Utusan was good because not only the Malays but also the other communities would benefit based on the 1Malaysia concept.

“I hope that the selected students will make good use of this opportunity and after receiving their certificates and diplomas they can further their studies at a higher level,” he said.

Two hundred needy students who scored at least five credits in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination last year will be selected for the scholarships.

They will receive RM5,000 a year to take up a one-year Foundation in Business and Information Technology course at the CEF College.

Foundation chairman Datuk Wira Syed Ali Alhabshee later told a news conference that the foundation had allocated RM1 million for the scholarships.

The application forms can be obtained from the Utusan newspaper starting this month.

Since its establishment 10 years ago, the foundation has given away financial aid totalling RM7 million.