BY NURULDAYANA RAFIEE
KUCHING: Some 30 primary and secondary school students received school aid from the Tabung Baitulmal Sarawak (TBS) in conjunction with the preparation for the start of the new school session today.
The aid were distributed through TBS’ ‘Back to School’ programme at Medan Hamidah, Demak here on Sunday (Jan 9).
According to TBS general manager Datuk Abang Mohd Shibli Abang Mohd Nailie, the programme is an initiative to manifest TBS’ aid ecosystem through the Ummah Distribution Centre infrastructure and branch offices in the distribution of aid to the poor.
He said the programme has been implemented throughout Sarawak through its branches in each division.
“TBS today has distributed school aids to 30 poor students in an effort to ease their burden for the preparation of the school session that will begin,” he said today.
He explained that as an institution that has been entrusted to manage the collection of zakat (tithe), wakaf (endowment) and sedekah (alm), all initiatives in the process of collection and distribution of zakat are aimed at helping the community in need, especially the asnaf or the poor.
According to a Year Five student from SK Gersik, Muhammad Hafiz Hafimie Abdullah, this is the first time he has received the aid from TBS.
Meanwhile, Form Four student from Madrasah Darul Uloom BDC, Muhammad Loqhman Shaqhir Yunus, when asked about his feeling of going back to school, said he is happy to be able to go to school face-to-face.
Muhammad Loqhman, who came with his mother and his 12-year-old sister, aims to complete 30 verses of the Quran for this year’s school session.
He also plans to continue his studies at the Malaysian Islamic Skills Institute Sarawak (Ikmas) Telaga Air near here.
Also present at the ceremony were TBS Finance and Administration Sector head Sulaiman Mahili and Development and Endowment Sector head Abang Faisal Abg Marzuki.
As of Dec 31 last year, TBS has distributed a total of RM72.7 million in assistance.
Of the total, RM50.1 million was distributed through four main programmes, namely the ‘Strengthening Knowledge Tradition Programme’, ‘Islamic Institutional Development Programme’, ‘Ummah Welfare Strengthening Programm’ and ‘Ummah Skills Improvement Programme’.
In addition, RM3.25 million in COVID-19 TBS special assistance has been distributed throughout 2021.
