Sabah scholarship going strong

INTEGRATION: Priceless opportunity to pursue education and form lifelong friendships

KOTA KINABALU: IN a noble move 44 years ago, children from Sabah were sponsored to study in schools across Peninsular Malaysia and  Sarawak to strengthen national integration.

Initiated by Yayasan Sabah, the programme helped plant the seeds of integration through some 5,000 people who pursued their secondary education outside of the state since 1968.

The secondary school scholarship programme, where top achievers from primary schools all over Sabah are given priority, still exists and to date, more than RM50 million has been spent by the foundation.

SMK Pekan 2 Kota Belud teacher Zainorain Makbul, 43, recalled how simultaneously excited and worried he felt when he was selected to study at SK Khir Johari in Sungai Petani, Kedah, in 1981.

"I was from SK Taun Gusi in Kota Belud. It was a major change for me because I was barely 13 years old and had to leave my family."

However, Zanorain adjusted quickly to his new environment as there were officers in every state to guide the students.

"During the holidays, we would be put together with other students from Sabah," he said, adding that they were divided into four zones: north, south, east and west. Being in Kedah, he was placed with the north zone students studying in Perak, Perlis and Penang.

They only got to return to Sabah once a year, but with their holidays occupied with friends and activities, Zanorain said it made up for not being able to go back home.

He then went on to attend SMK Jitra and Kolej Sultan Abdu Hamid until 1987.

"Those were memorable years and it helped me make new friends," said the teacher, who still keeps in touch with many of his friends in Kedah as well as others from Sabah whom he met there.

Another former student, Sabah Land and Survey director Datuk Osman Jamal, was in the peninsula from 1970 to 1975 before continuing his studies at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Johor.

"I went to the Muar High School, Royal Military College and Penang Free School, and it was an experience that I cherish," he said.

"It was a programme that integrated students from Sabah with others in Malaysia. It worked as I am still in touch with many of my friends from other parts of the country and I believe others who were in the same programme share my feelings."

The foundation was established by the state government in 1966 with three key objectives: to provide welfare aid, create economic opportunities and provide education to all youths in Sabah.

Yayasan Sabah has introduced several programmes, including providing scholarships to secondary school students and those seeking tertiary education, study loans, counselling as well as career guidance.

In 1976, the scholarship programme was expanded for Sabah students to study in Sarawak. The foundation also picked top students from Sarawak to study in Sabah.

Last year, Yayasan Sabah director Tan Sri Khalil Jamalul presented scholarships to 56 students. He assured them that they would be given the best opportunity to gain experience.

Zainorain Makbul (right) and friends visiting SMK Jitra , where he studied under the Yayasan Sabah scholarship programme.