[UPDATED] 10,000 B40 students to receive scholarships: Khaled Nordin

KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 10,000 students from the B40 group who are the first in their families to enrol in a tertiary education programme will have their fees exempted, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

Noting that the government has allocated RM30 million for the initiative, he said the exemption will be offered in all public universities, Sinar Harian reported.

“It is hoped that with this initiative, those who are the first among their B40 families who succeeded in entering a public higher education institution would be able to study in comfort, calm, and produce high performance,” he said.

Khaled made the announcement during the closing ceremony of the Jom Masuk U 2023 programme at Universiti Malaya today.

He also said that the initiative came about due to how students who had scored good grades in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia examinations were unable to continue their studies due to financial difficulties. 

He noted that the ministry regrets such cases and is determined to ensure that such tragedies do not repeat in the future. 

“This special initiative, known as the Siswa Sulung Keluarga Malaysia Development Programme (Sulung), was first started last year,” he said.

“Those who are identified (to be eligible to join the programme) will receive full exemption on their fees from higher learning institutes,” he said. 

He added, however, that students would have to sustain their own expenditures for matters outside of education fees, as the programme only covers the latter. – The Vibes, June 4, 2023