Avenue to quality education

MORE than 3,000 students from 16 educational institutions under the Sunway Education Group received a total of RM72 million scholarships from The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation – the highest amount disbursed by the foundation to date. Since its inception in 2011, a grand total of RM402 million has been awarded.

Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh was invited to present the awards to the recipients at the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation Scholarships and Awards Ceremony 2018.

“I hope that you (students) will not only learn the skills that are important for your future, but also the values which will help shape your character. As they say, a character is destiny and character is shaped by the values you adopt during your time on campus,” she said.

Yeoh applauded The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation founding trustee, Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, and the Sunway Education Group for not only making quality education accessible and affordable, but for building a sustainable township. She hopes that other organisations and corporate companies will follow in their footsteps, in providing education scholarships for students.

Cheah, who is also the founder and chairman of the Sunway Group said, “I have always believed that one must have a higher purpose in life and that purpose is about living a meaningful life and helping society. My own personal motto is: ‘I aspire to inspire before I expire’ and in my own little way, I have tried to make a difference in our country. I have always believed that education offers the optimum route out of poverty and that education should be a non-profit initiative,” he said and shared that it is his goal to disburse more than RM1 billion in his lifetime.

Samantha Kaan ( pix, far left), a scholarship recipient and first-year Bachelor in Psychology student said the grant came as a relief for her parents. “I am thankful God blessed me with this opportunity,” she said.

Another recipient, Graeme Tan ( pix, far right) worked part-time producing commercial videos and games to earn extra income, which still wasn’t enough to pay for his studies. “If it wasn’t for this scholarship, I would not have been able to further my studies,” he said.

The Berjaya Times Square Hotel’s ‘Fabulous 15th Anniversary’ celebration welcomed some 300 guests. Of these, 32 were children from the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation and 45 were folks from Rumah Charis and Rumah Victory. “This past year has been nothing but happy and successful in so many ways. It has been defined by a kaleidoscope of happy memories, supportive friendships and enduring relationships,” said the hotel’s new general manager Anthony O’Neill. Visit the hotel website for more information.

Yeoh (in yellow) and Cheah (on her left) with four Chancellor Scholarship recipients.