BANGI: A total of 2,500 new students for the 2024/2025 academic session from across the country have been selected to receive educational funding under the Siswa Sulung 2.0 Programme.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the programme was introduced to ensure that children from ‘eKasih’ aid recipient families or those living in extreme poverty were given adequate opportunities to further their education.
“We expect around 8,000 students from year one to year four to benefit from the Siswa Sulung 2.0 Programme.
“We offer them scholarships, and they only need to pay for their residential college fees; everything else is free,“ he told the media after attending the MADANI Campus Tour programme, ‘In Person with Doc Zam: Tips and Tricks for Freshies’ at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) here today.
The Siswa Sulung 2.0 Programme provides tuition fee waivers to the first individuals in B40 or underprivileged families who manage to enrol in a public university for their first degree.
Meanwhile, Zambry announced that he would continue the MADANI Campus Tour programme at several universities nationwide.
“This MADANI Campus Tour is a creative approach taken by vice-chancellors of Malaysian universities, as we want to create a more relaxed and informative space for new students entering public universities.
“Although we have orientation sessions for new students, there needs to be a more informal approach where they can interact, not only with each other but also with university staff and administration. Most importantly, they can interact with me as the Minister of Higher Education,“ he said.
During today’s programme, Zambry shared his experiences as the son of a fisherman who succeeded in academia with more than 5,000 new UKM students.
He emphasised that the university is a platform for students to hone their leadership skills and showcase their unique qualities.
“This is where you sharpen your talents, including how to build confidence and leadership traits within yourself.
“These are very important aspects. That’s why you must take advantage of your time at university to join associations, as this isn’t taught in lecture halls. For example, honing your communication skills, speaking in front of an audience... all of this requires practice, and it starts here,“ he said.
At the event, Zambry also launched the ‘UKM Siswa’ app, which serves as a one-stop information hub for UKM students.
The smart app was developed to simplify student affairs throughout their studies at UKM, including providing access to academic information, class and exam schedules, student finances, and welfare aid information.
UKM is the first university to integrate all student-related systems into a single app.
