KUALA NERUS, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- A total of 6,624 outstanding students nationwide have received sponsorship from the Public Service Department (JPA) under the Dermasiswa B40 (DB40) programme this year.
Public Service director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said DB40 was a special initiative by JPA for the government to help high-achieving students from the B40 category pursue diploma studies at public higher learning institutions, including polytechnics.
“Our country is still grappling with poverty issues, and many B40 students cannot continue their studies due to financial constraints. Thus, JPA has implemented this sponsorship programme to support their educational expenses.
“This demonstrates the government’s commitment to enable these students to pursue their studies,” he told reporters after a meeting with Terengganu’s federal civil servants at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) here, today.
This commitment, he said, aligned with the element of Ihsan, one of the core pillars of the Malaysia MADANI framework, as well as the element of Empathy for the people (Empati Rakyat) in JPA’s H.E.M.A.T aspirations, which served as a guide for public servants to deliver high-quality services to the people.
H.E.M.A.T, introduced in February, requires public servants to listen to and understand the people’s issues while focusing on implementing initiatives that contribute to the public’s well-being. The H.E.M.A.T aspiration logo was also publicly displayed for the first time today during the programme’s launch by Wan Ahmad Dahlan.
Meanwhile, DB40 recipient Muhammad Khairul Iqwan Azmi, 18, said the sponsorship not only eased his financial burden but also motivated him to work harder in his studies as a Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering student at Kuala Terengganu Polytechnic.
The youngest of three siblings said he believed that his efforts today, supported by DB40, would be the stepping stone for greater achievements in the future.
“I am determined to keep progressing academically and to remain disciplined, as it’s my way of showing gratitude for the government’s support,” he said, adding that his father, a self-employed worker, earned an average monthly income of RM1,500.
Another recipient, Iman Nur Aina Abdullah, 18, advised other students facing similar circumstances not to let poverty stand in the way of education but instead to make full use of the opportunities and assistance provided by the government.
“As a student, trust that if there’s a will to study, there will be a way. Being in the B40 category isn’t a barrier to studying, especially with initiatives like DB40 from JPA,” said the first-year Diploma in Fisheries student at UMT.
Meanwhile, the recipient of JPA’s Domestic Degree Programme (PIDN) sponsorship, S.P. Harishvaar Pillai, 22, said PIDN made a difference for him as a third-year Bachelor in Aquaculture student, as it gave him an advantage over industry players without relevant academic qualifications.
The UMT student from Selangor shared that the scholarship had provided significant financial assistance, helping him pursue his dream of becoming a knowledgeable agriculture sector entrepreneur.
-- BERNAMA
