KUCHING (Sept 15): The Sarawak government will need to allocate about RM1.2 billion to enable some 10,000 Sarawakians to complete three years of free tertiary education starting next year, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

He said the projection was based on the assumption of 10,000 students enrolling annually in state-owned higher learning institutions.

“In the first year, with 10,000 students, we need RM400 million. In the second year, it becomes RM800 million. By the third year, the cost reaches RM1.2 billion,” he said when speaking at the Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) 60th Anniversary Dinner themed ‘Unity in Education’ at a hotel here last night.

The initiative covers students with the “K” status in their MyKad and applies to state-owned institutions such as Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Curtin University Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Sarawak, iCATS University College, and the Centre for Technical Excellence Sarawak (Centexs).

He said the state will also prioritise disciplines that are vital for the future, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), computer sciences such as artificial intelligence and analytics, law, finance, psychology, and medicine.

“Psychology is very important today because of the many stresses people face. We need counsellors who can help. These are among the fields we want our children to pursue,” he said.

Abang Johari attributed Sarawak’s ability to fund the initiative to its growing revenue base.

“When I first became Chief Minister, our revenue was only RM6 billion. Today it has reached RM15 billion because we diversified our economy and managed our resources transparently. That is why we can reinvest into education,” he said.

The Premier also assured teachers that the state will continue supporting professional development, particularly in language and assessment training.

“We will continue to give you training, including dual language training during school holidays. We also have assessment tests for Primary 6, Form 3 and Form 5 because, in our view, if our children are not assessed, we do not know their standard. If they are automatically promoted, we will not know their achievement level,” he explained.

He noted that Sarawak has introduced its own dual assessment system, aligned with Cambridge standards, to ensure competitiveness.

Abang Johari further announced plans to build common science laboratories in every district to support schools without such facilities.

“Some schools have labs, but others do not. If you want to learn chemistry, physics, biology and other science subjects, you need proper labs. That is why the state government will build common labs in each district to be used by schools. The Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development has been asked to identify the locations needed,” he said.

These facilities, he added, will help students apply classroom knowledge to real-world developments, such as Sarawak’s green hydrogen initiative.

Several awards were also presented during the dinner, including the Excellence in Financial Management Award to STU Bahagian Sibu, Best STU Performance Award to STU Bahagian Kuching, Champion in Membership Recruitment (STU-level) to STU Bahagian Miri, and First Runner-up in Membership Recruitment to STU Bahagian Kuching.

Among those present were STU president Kullin Djayang, Engkilili assemblyman Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Aminuddin Awang, and Sarawak Education Department deputy director (School Management Sector) Dr Les Met.