THE Penang government, led by DAP, has for the first time awarded scholarships worth RM345,000 for 10 adults to study at Wawasan Open University (WOU).
Former chief minister Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon, who heads the WOU board of governors, said 30,000 adults have benefited from WOU’s open forum distance learning module.
He said WOU vice-chancellor and chief executive Prof Lily Chan made distance learning a priority.
“We will work with the government of the day and network with all stakeholders in Penang to provide the right skills and opportunities in higher education,” Koh said.
He said WOU would expand its subsidy outreach so more people in the B40 and M40 groups could enrol in its academic programmes.
“In the pay-it-forward spirit, we will work diligently to help the less fortunate.”
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow meanwhile said the state would work with any institution or individual to provide investors with suitable human capital.
Penang reportedly needs at least 5,000 engineers by the end of this decade, in tandem with the state’s elevation as an integral part of the global supply chain for the electrical and electronics production sector.
Many multinational companies that establish hubs in Penang have also set up research and development centres here.
Chow thanked WOU for educating working adults, in line with the state’s Vision 2030.
The plan places Penang as a smart metropolitan city with emphasis on technology, family and greenery.
Also present were WOU chairman Datuk Seri Stephen Yeap Leong Huat, his wife Datin Seri Irene Yeap, and council chief executive officer Datuk Ong Bee Leng, and social development, welfare and non-Islamic affairs exco Lim Siew Khim. – The Vibes, December 13, 2023.
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