KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) will reward RM300 to all high-achieving students under the Tuisyen Rakyat RISDA programme who excelled in the 2024 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed that 884 participants achieved outstanding results, including 17 scoring 11As, 16 with 10As, and 72 obtaining 9As.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development, highlighted the significant improvement in performance compared to 2023, where 654 students scored 5As and above.
“This success reflects the hard work of students, parents, teachers, and RISDA’s rural education support system. The incentive recognises their determination, proving that rural students can excel despite geographical challenges,“ he said during the Tuisyen Rakyat RISDA appreciation ceremony.
Since its launch in 2007, the programme has supported 35,316 students with an allocation of RM31.03 million. Last year, RM3.51 million was dedicated to helping 3,015 rural students prepare for SPM, focusing on core subjects like Bahasa Melayu, English, Science, Mathematics, and History. Ahmad Zahid also commended the 1,005 teachers across 201 tuition centres nationwide for their pivotal role in student success.
He noted the growing trend of rural students pursuing higher education, particularly in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. The UP_TVET platform, introduced in 2023, received over 125,000 applications by 2024, with 35,000 placements offered initially. TVET graduates now enjoy a 95.1% employability rate due to rising industry demand for skilled workers.
Ahmad Zahid praised the University College of Agroscience Malaysia (UCAM), a RISDA-owned institution, for offering TVET courses in modern agriculture, business, and halal certification.
“UCAM must become a regional leader in agricultural TVET,“ he added, emphasising RISDA’s role in rural transformation and social mobility. - Bernama
