Sarawak to be included in bumi education scheme
BAGAN DATUK: Sarawak will be included as one of the locations under a programme to improve the education level of bumiputras, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Jelajah Pendidikan Bumiputra (JPB) programme, he said, provided help for Malay and bumiputra SPM leavers in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah to pursue higher education or skills training.
“This is a move to enhance the social status of the young people, which will directly improve the livelihood of their household and family. We are doing this not only in urban areas but rural places as well.
“It is a combined effort between the Government and civil groups, public and private institutions of higher learning as well as the private sector.
“We have to get out of the silo if we want to be a developed country,” he said during the launch of JPB 2018 at Sekolah Menengah Sains Bagan Datuk yesterday.
It was attended by about 5,000 SPM leavers from Bagan Datuk, Teluk Intan and Sabak Bernam.
Also present were Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob, who is the mentor-minister for JPB and JPB committee chairman Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar.
Bagan Datuk is the first of the 38 locations for JPB this year.
Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is Bagan Datuk MP, said JPB was not part of a campaign for the general election.
“It has been carried out since 2016 with the agenda of creating social mobility for young people,” he said.
He urged the 2018 JPB committee to realise its target of getting 65,000 Malay and bumiputra SPM leavers into 37 institutions of higher learning.
He also announced an extra RM1mil allocation for JBP 2018. Since JPB was introduced in 2016, it had provided opportunities for 98,534 SPM leavers to pursue studies in the academic, technical and vocational fields in the country.