Flight subsidy right move to help Sabah students, says youth council

KOTA KINABALU: The oneoff subsidy of RM600 provided by the Sabah government for Sabahans studying in other parts of the country is helpful for students burdened by skyrocketing flight ticket prices during festive seasons, according to the Sabah Youth Council (MBS).

MBS president Abqaree Fawwaz Abekan said Sabah students from less privileged families generally find it difficult to afford flight tickets costing thousands of ringgit, thus cannot return home to celebrate festivals with their families.

He praised the state government for showing concern for the welfare of youths, as is also apparent in its programmes like the Sabah Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (Syabas) and the Dewan Belia Sabah Programme.

“MBS hopes that the state government remains commi ed to supporting the aspirations and needs of the youth in the state for a be er future,” he said in a statement yesterday.

On Monday, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the state government will provide a one-off subsidy of RM600 for flight tickets to Sabahan students at higher education institutions (IPT) in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Labuan.

Meanwhile, state Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Fairuz Renddan urged airline companies to emulate the empathy and concern shown by the Sabah government when determining their flight ticket prices.

“I believe that the one-time assistance provided directly to the students will be utilised effectively by our Sabah youths studying in IPT nationwide. Hopefully, it will be provided again in the future benefit of Sabahans away from home.

“At the Sabah Ministry of Youth and Sports, I, along with others, strongly support all positive efforts to assist youths and young people, regardless of race or religion,” he said.

Also commenting yesterday was Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah information chief Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, who said the subsidy from a RM10 million allocation is expected to benefit more than 18,000 Sabah students, thereby significantly for the studying contributing to the development of human capital in the state.

Additionally, he said the Sabah government allocated RM67.4 million to Kumpulan Yayasan Sabah this year to assist Sabahans in pursuing education locally or abroad, an increase of RM13.6 million compared to the allocation last year.

“Thisimportantannouncement proves that the government under the leadership of Hajiji is serious about assisting and enhancing the education of Sabah’s children, in line with the Sabah Maju Jaya Roadmap,” he said. — Bernama