KUCHING: A total of 149 deserving Sarawakian students were awarded sponsorships during the 2019 Petronas Education Sponsorship and Human Capital Development programme held at Hilton Hotel here yesterday.
The sponsorships were presented by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, witnessed by Petronas
chairman Datuk Ahmad Nizam Salleh and Petronas senior vice president of Group Human Resource Management (GHRM) Datuk Raiha Azni Abd Rahman.
Of the 149 recipients, 44 outstanding SPM school leavers received the sponsorship under the flagship Petronas Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP) to pursue their degrees in Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) as well as in
universities overseas.
Another 54 students received sponsorships under the Vocational Institutions Sponsorship and Training Assistance (Vista) programme to pursue technical training at selected vocational institutions in the country.
In addition to that, 51 underprivileged students were awarded scholarships under the Budi-Petronas programme to study at Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) Junior Science College (MRSM) in the state, to assist in their academic performance and nurture their interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Petronas has allocated RM156 million this year to fund the studies of a total of 400 Malaysian students who will pursue tertiary studies in various fields including chemical, petroleum and mechanical engineering; law and other industry-related courses at UTP and at universities in Australia, Canada, China, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ahmad Nizam said, “We want to unlock your true potential by providing these sponsorships because we know all of
you will continue our legacy and bring Petronas, the industry as well as the country to greater heights.”
He added, “PESP, Vista and Budi sponsorships, are part of a strategic initiative by Petronas to help the state and country to meet their human capital requirements in the oil and gas industry as well as in other disciplines.”
The students would receive yearly education allowances to pay for their school uniforms, textbooks, learning aid and other necessities.
The PESP is part of Petronas’ ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment towards education and supporting Malaysia’s human capital development. Since its inception in 1975, PESP has benefited more than 36,800 students with an estimated investment value of more than RM3.3 billion todate.
The event also witnessed two exchanges of Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between Petronas and Yayasan Sarawak as well as Petronas and Mara on the construction of Maktab Rendah Sains Mara in Bintulu.
Also present were Yayasan Sarawak Board of Trustee member Datuk Peter Minos and Mara deputy education director Datuk Mohamed Roseli Dol.
