KOTA KINABALU: A special state education fund will be launched next month, says Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

       He said the fund would help more Sabahan children get an opportunity to further their studies at institutions of higher learning either in the country or overseas.

       The fund is an initiative under the Yayasan Sabah Group's Strategic Plan for 2015-2023, under the state government's Sabah Maju Jaya development roadmap which aims to develop human capital.

       Speaking at the state-level Teachers Day celebration here on Monday (May 23), Hajiji said the creation of the fund was approved by the state assembly on Dec 9 through the Government Trust Fund (amendment) Enactment 2021 that came into force in January.

       He said it was part of education initiatives implemented by the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-Barisan Nasional (GRS-BN) government after it was elected in September 2020.

       “This includes donating 10,000 laptops to Form Five and Six students in Sabah," he said.

       Under the state's Budget 2022, he added, it also provided assistance for 289,204 students to buy uniforms, shoes and stationery through a RM13.9mil allocation.

       “The state government is committed to continuing two more forms of special education assistance introduced in 2021 for cash assistance for students who register at institutes of higher learning under the Budi scheme as well as a Special Examination Cash Assistance (Bakti) scheme," Hajiji said.

       He said RM17.5mil had been allocated for this purpose, with some 5,000 students receiving Budi aid and up to 40,000 getting Bakti assistance last year.

       In addition, he said, the state government introduced funding assistance for more than 1,500 school parent-teacher associations (PTAs) in Sabah under the Bagus initiative, as well as assistance for computer equipment in schools under the Bisbah programme.

       Hajiji said vernacular, missionary and private schools in Sabah were also allocated funds for special assistance.

       "It reflects the sincerity of the government in ensuring the welfare of all races and religions in Sabah," he said.