Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor receiving a portrait of himself made up of a collage of more than 400 pictures of the TAR UMT students' activities from the students' representatives.
KOTA KINABALU: The opening of the Sabah branch of Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) fits in well with Sabah's aspiration to develop a quality human capital pool, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The Chief Minister said the state welcomed TAR UMT's initiative to expand its wings to Sabah, which would directly assist the development of the state's higher education.
"The opening of TAR UMT Sabah creates opportunities and opens up choices for Sabahans to further their studies at the university level locally," he said at the opening of the TAR UMT Sabah branch at Alam Mesra near here Saturday (Feb 24).
Also present was TAR Education Foundation chairman Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
Hajiji said TAR UMT’s "Beyond Education" philosophy that emphasises academic excellence, nurtures important competencies and develops civic values in its students was holistic and empowering.
The Chief Minister added that it was important that quality tertiary education was available for the youths in Sabah.
"It is important that a substantial part of the student population in Sabah are into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, " he said.
Hajiji said education was the cornerstone of progress and development and it was the collective responsibility of all to ensure that children in Sabah receive the best education.
"This is why human capital is one of the three main thrusts of our development roadmap, the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ). People are our greatest asset. By investing in education, training, and skill development, we aim to prepare our population for future challenges and opportunities," he added.
The state government had allocated RM475mil to strengthen human capital development this year, he said
In line with Sabah’s Youth Policy, the state had also allocated RM16.89mil to implement Sabah’s Youth Leadership Development Programme this year which included voluntarism and social unity activities.
"We will continue to channel resources to implement various programmes for our youths, including leadership, skill, and entrepreneurial activities.
"Youth development schemes such as the Sabah Youth Entrepreneurs Success Scheme (Syabas) will continue to further support young entrepreneurs in starting and strengthening their entrepreneurial ventures," he added.
Hajiji said the state government had introduced various programmes and initiatives to support and equip youths, among them the Student Consultative Council (MPPS) comprising public and private higher learning institutions’ student leaders from all over the country including universities, polytechnics, community and skills institutes as well as secondary schools.
"This is an important platform for young Sabahans to share their opinions and aspirations with us to ensure the success of the SMJ Development Plan.
"It is a strategic platform for the youth in Sabah to be involved in the development of the State while studying and as such, we will continue to further strengthen this initiative to instil excellence in our future leaders," he said.
