FT Dept, UNITAR Launch PUJI Education Scholarship

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 (Bernama) -- The UNITAR Education Group (UNITAR), in collaboration with the Federal Territories Department (JWP), today launched the “PUJI Education Scholarship with UNITAR” programme valued at RM10 million in a bid to eradicate hardcore poverty through education.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the programme is proof of the commitment of the public and private sectors to inculcate inclusivity in education, which is the core of the MADANI Government’s aspirations.

“This ‘Program Usaha Jaya Insan’ (PUJI) initiative is, basically, our effort to take the people, especially in the Federal Territories, out of hardcore poverty using various methods that we have identified through the ‘whole of nation’ approach.

“I believe that education is one of the most vital instruments to break the cycle of poverty and build a more meaningful life, which not only equips one with knowledge but also the foundation to be competitive globally,” she said.

Her speech was read out by JWP deputy director-general (Management and Socio-Economy) Datuk Parang Abai at the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College (KLMUC) Campus here today.

Also present were KLMUC Management Board chairman and Pro-Chancellor Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar, UNITAR chief executive officer  Datuk Puvan Balanchandran, KLMUC vice-chancellor Prof Dr Abdul Rahman Omar and the Prime Minister’s political secretary, Datuk Azman Abidin.

Dr Zaliha also said that the RM82.2 billion announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim under Budget 2025 reflected the government’s commitment to always prioritising the education sector.

She also thanked UNITAR for the strategic collaboration, which is in line with the government’s aspirations, and called on more educational institutions and corporate sectors to follow suit.

Meanwhile, Dr Sahol Hamid said the scholarship programme not only provided financial aid to the students but also an opportunity for them to obtain quality education at the KLMUC Campus.

He said the scholarship, involving an allocation of RM10 million, would be distributed to every parliamentary constituency in the Federal Territories through their respective elected representatives to ensure students from the B40 community receive equal opportunities to further their studies.

-- BERNAMA