TAR UC Sabah offers 15 scholarships to native students

KOTA KINABALU: With the release of the SPM results earlier this month, many are now making plans and scrambling to enroll in colleges of their first choices to further their studies and dreams.

Now it is a well-known fact and common knowledge that education is one of the best cures of poverty.

Based on a report by United Nations Millennium Development Goal 2015, the country’s poverty line has been significantly reduced over the past three decades, with the number of households living below the poverty line having fallen about 90% between the years 1999 and 2014.

Sabah still has a 4% of poverty incidence where there are still poor households that are able to afford basic food, shelter and clothing but are unable to afford comprehensive healthcare and education.

The report also notes that people who fall under the category of Other Bumiputera, have higher poverty rates compared to other ethnic groups in Malaysia.

“Most of these are rural folk who are natives of the land, and remain trapped in poverty as most continue to engage in low-income activities, either out of habit or culture, or out of constrain,”said Dr Pamela Yong. “Many within this group live in areas of the interior, often cut off from areas of development. This makes them more vulnerable to poverty, and Dr Yong believes that in order for these groups to break out of the cycle of poverty they must have good access to education.

“Human capital is the greatest asset of any nation, and it is the government’s responsibility to harness this asset regardless of economic status.

“Education will help these natives to escape poverty by developing the skills they need to improve their livelihoods and be able to seek high paying employment.

“It also helps generates productivity gains that fuel economic growth. However, with the lack of infrastructure and facilities in the interior makes for inferior basic education and it is found that these youths, whilst some with great potentials are unable to obtain grades competitive enough to secure them places in institutions of higher learning, perhaps under government scholarships.

“Meanwhile, they also lack the financial means to independently enter private institutions of higher learning. With such odds stacked against them, this cycle of poverty seems all the more permanent.”

Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (Sabah Branch) has always pride itself as an institution of higher learning that aims to provide educational opportunities to any young Malaysians and to enable them to realise their full potential and provide the necessary human capital for nation building.

In believing that education will lead to economic progress for man and country, the University College places great importance in making education accessible to as many Malaysians as possible.

As such, the university is very committed to ensuring that no deserving student is denied admissions because of financial difficulty.

Furthermore, to continue with this legacy, TAR UC sets out to increase access to tertiary educational opportunities of indigenous groups in Sabah, who as described earlier, are amongst the lowest income rural communities in the country.

TAR UC (Sabah Branch) conducts an ongoing Open Day since March 13 until April 2.

Over this period, TAR UC shall offer useful sessions with potential applicants including academic counselling, career guidance sessions, campus tours, business plan presentations, and more.

Today, 25 March, the morning session is from 10am-12pm and afternoon session runs from 2pm-4pm.

On 1 April (Saturday), the morning session is from 10am12pm and afternoon session from 2pm-4pm.

The forthcoming roadshow shall incorporate stops at M.F. Enterprise, Bandar Indah, Sandakan (26 March 2017 from 9.30am to 4:30pm), and at the Lahad Datu Middle School in Lahad Datu (27 March 2017 from 10am to 2pm).

Any needy and deserving students from the indigenous groups of interior Sabah who meet the minimum entry requirements for admission to any of the TAR UC Diploma and/ or Degree programmes will be eligible to apply for the bursary, which shall finance the tuition fees for the entire length of the programme of study in TAR UC (subject to annual review based on reports of satisfactory academic performance and conduct by their respective Deans/Heads).

Further information on courses that are available and their entry requirements, can be obtained from the university’s website www.tarc.edu.my or Sabah branch campus head Chu Wen Tyng on 088-718481/088718482.

Dr Pamela who is also a member of the TAR UC Board Of Governors believes such moves by private institutions or even any philanthropists can help eradicate poverty exponentially.

“I remember during my younger days, we used to have two native boys staying with us in the house. Our house served as a half-way house to them as their kampong was located too far therefore providing opportunities to these deserving native youths to further their education and better themselves.”

Research has shown that education gives a person higher self-esteem and therefore greater confidence. With a greater confidence, they are better able to achieve better lifetime chances and therefore socio-economic success.