Kuching: Had the State government listened and adopted my suggestion earlier last year on free tertiary education for ALL, thousands of Sarawakian university students would have enjoyed the Free Education Scheme benefits this year.
I welcome the recent announcement of the Premier to study extending the Free Tertiary Education scheme to Sarawakian students studying in public universities. Finally, he agrees with my suggestion.
Early last year, I suggested that the Sarawak government’s free tertiary education scheme should cover all public university students and also partially help the Sarawakian students studying in private universities, local and abroad.
However, my suggestion in early 2025 has fallen on the deaf ears of the GPS government.
It took the Premier one year to realise that my suggestion is actually feasible and should be implemented.
Still, the delayed action has deprived thousands of Sarawakian students, especially those from the B40 families, of the benefits of the scheme for now.
Three days ago, the Premier announced that the state government will look into extending the free tertiary education scheme to Sarawak students studying in public universities.
In fact, it won’t take much time to get the figures for the extension of the free education scheme to these students, as it involves the calculation of funds based on the number of students and the statistics.
All the numbers, the number of students, the family income of the students, the universities that they are studying at, and the total estimated figure involved for the extension of the free tertiary education schemes to these students are readily available.
All these figures are readily available for the government, and the collection of the data and the calculation thereof can be done within a month!
I am sure that helping pay all the tuition fees for all Sarawakian students studying at public universities in the country will cost at most 20 to 30 million from the state coffers, as most of these students have the Federal government paying 90% of the fees.
As for giving stipends to B40 families amongst these students during their tertiary education, it may take a few hundred million, depending on the amount provided.
Notwithstanding, it is worthwhile, and the State government has the financial ability to do so.
The GPS government should acknowledge that there is nothing more worthy than investment in the future generations’ education and helping them in the pursuit of their higher education.
These few hundred million are better spent on the students than wasting them on the hydrogen buses and some white elephant projects that yield low or no return to the state.
I thus urge Abang Jo to:
- To implement a free tertiary education scheme for all Sarawakian students studying in the public universities in the country within two months’ time.
- To include in the scheme all Sarawakian students studying in private universities, local and abroad, by giving them the assistance funds.
- To extend the free tertiary education scheme to all those studying at the 4 state government-owned universities who were left out in the initial plan.
Chong Chieng Jen
DAP Sarawak Chairman
20 January 2026
