KOTA KINABALU – The newly launched Sabah State Education Fund (TPNS) will serve a different purpose to the Sabah Foundation, despite the latter being established to provide education and educational facilities to Sabahans, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said TPNS is a fund established to help smart students from poor backgrounds to further their studies.
“The education aid provided by the state and Yayasan Sabah (Sabah Foundation) is different.
“This is a fund for education. It serves differently but has the same objective – to provide young Sabahans from poor backgrounds who excel in school an opportunity to study.
“Applicants could also apply for the education aid if they failed to get funding from either TPNS or Yayasan Sabah,” he told reporters after the launching of the fund here today.
Hajiji said the initiative comes under the Yayasan Sabah Group’s Transformation Strategic Plan 2015-2023 and is themed Sponsoring Opportunities for All.
He added that the fund was created to open more sponsorship opportunities for young Sabahans to enter institutions of higher learning.
Hajiji said TPNS currently has a RM54.5 million accumulated fund raised through contributions from the state government, Benta Wawasan Sdn Bhd, Sabah Softwoods Bhd, Innoprise Plantations Bhd, the Lau Gek Poh Foundation, Ikatan Kayangan Sdn Bhd and the Usahawan Borneo Group.
From 1967 to 2021, the Sabah Foundation spent over RM768 million, with 114,934 people having benefited from its sponsorship. – The Vibes, June 2, 2022
