Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid pledges personal funds to sponsor umrah pilgrimages for TVET gold medal winners at WorldSkills 2026 in Shanghai.
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has pledged to sponsor umrah pilgrimages for participants who win gold medals at the WorldSkills Competition (WSC) 2026 in Shanghai, China, from Sept 22 to 27.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said the reward for participants from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) would be fully funded from his personal funds as a token of appreciation.
“Whoever wins a gold medal at WorldSkills, I will not only sponsor the participant’s umrah pilgrimage, but I will also sponsor their parents.
“This is my promise. If all nine participants win gold medals, I will send all nine of them and their parents to perform umrah,” he said when delivering his address to the TVET@KKDW contingent for WorldSkills 2026 here today. Also present was Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang.
The TVET@KKDW contingent to WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 comprises nine participants competing in nine skill categories.
They are Nadratulliyana Ab Malek (Fashion Technology), Haziq Syahmi Nazri (Automobile Painting), Amirul Sharif Sharifudin (Electronics), Mohammad Ezaly Iman Ramli (Cyber Security) and Wan Hamiz Ozai Wan Hamidzi (Rail Vehicle Technology).
Also representing Malaysia are Khairul Idham Bahari (Cabinetmaking), Muhamad Nashrul Zulkifli (Digital Construction), Muhammad Haziq Lailla Zamri (Electrical Installations) and Muhammad Huzairy Mohamad Thes (Mechanical Engineering CAD).
