Headline BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR NEEDY STUDENTS MediaTitle The Star Date 01 May 2020 Language English Circulation 175,986 Readership 527,958 Section Nation Page No 13 ArticleSize 565 cm² Journalist D. RAJ and RJ PR Value RM 85,302

BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR NEEDY STUDENTS

By D. RAJ and RJ DEVAN create entrepreneurship. refused to let the students go. "We want to create business- However, with some persuading, DATUK Dr Ibrahim Hussein is a people - in electronics, electrical, about half of the 60 returned in the seasoned veteran. The man has a computers, spas, the beauty indus- second intake, said Razif. PhD in mechanical engineering, try, etc. Now, the trust is trying to help has been a power plant engineer "They can then get jobs or start the families cope too. Razif said he and a lecturer, helped set up businesses and help lift their fami- has talked to the welfare depart- Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) ly and community out of poverty," ment and zakat bodies to help the and was its deputy vice- said Ibrahim. parents. for 13 years. The trust not only gives the stu- "We want them to take care of He has seen thousands of stu- dents sums of RM10,000 (degree), the parents while we take care of dents. RM9,000 (diploma) or RM6,600 the children. After three or four But even he struggled with his (certificate), but it also helps to years, the children can go back emotions as he described the plight ensure that they adapt to life at ter- with skills and it will be a win-win of students who are so poor that 'These students were not picked 'A major problem is parents tiary institutes. situation," he said. they even fear going to university. for being high achievers. These are who want their children to stay Most recipients are from the The trust is not stopping at just They are afraid it would bring just children of B40 families who home and help them instead of interiors of Sabah and sponsoring students. To get them extra burden to their parents. are willing to work hard,' said continuing their studies,' said and rural areas in the peninsula acclimatised to urban life, the Ibrahim is now the director of Ibrahim. Razif. and they need help to adjust. For trust holds get-togethers and Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (YTN), many of them, the journey to the conventions where the students a trust under Tenaga Nasional The list is passed to TNB, which The foster father, a farmer, had colleges and universities in the can discuss their problems. Berhad (TNB) that provides sends a letter of offer to the ter- seven children of his own and peninsula is their first ride on an It also has the "duta" (ambassa- scholarships, loans, bursaries and, tiary institution. The selected stu- could hardly afford the cost of aeroplane. dor) programme, where a couple uniquely, grants to poor students so dents then get two offer letters - education for Akidd, who is now Once they are at college, many of students are placed in each insti- they can get out of the vicious cycle one from the university and one pursuing his degree in Electrical are afraid to leave the grounds. tution as liaison officers to bring of poverty. from the trust. Technology, majoring in the power "They have never seen life out- the students' woes to its officers. YTN is the administrator of the That's how Ibrahim knows of stu- industry, at Universiti Teknikal side their own communities and The trust is now reaching out to My Brighter Future (MyBF) prog- dents who refuse to open the enve- Melaka. are afraid to open up. Some want even younger ones, especially in ramme, which started in 2018 and lopes. Some just don't believe it. Some 1,000 students are picked to drop out to help their parents," Sabah and Sarawak, under its is designed to help poor students "We had to get the tertiary insti- every year for STEM (science, tech- said Ibrahim. Mutiara Timur programme, where- make it to university, college or a tute's officers to call one such stu- nology, engineering and mathemat- And that is another major prob- by students who have just finished polytechnic. dent to open the letter. He refused ics) and TVET (technical and voca- lem - parents who want their chil- PT3 and Form Four are taken on The grant is special in many because he thought it would bur- tional education and training) dren to stay home and help them trips to Uniten and other places in ways. The students need not be the den his parents. But when he did, it programmes from seven institutes. instead of continuing their studies, the peninsula to inculcate a desire best academically. It pays not just was all joy," said Ibrahim. Many of the students have according to TNB Chief People for further studies. tuition fees but also all other There are those who have trou- repaid the trust placed in them by Officer Datuk Mohamed Razif Razif, meanwhile, says they are expenses, including board and per- ble filling the forms, not because YTN - they may be poor financially Abdul Rahman,who has been part looking at tutorial classes for those sonal expenses. That's because they don't know how to but but hardly so in their studies. of the MyBF programme from day in the programme who are not many students who just get their because of their family situation. "More than half of them man- one. doing well academically. The idea tuition sponsored drop out as they One student, Muhammad Akidd aged to get CGPA scores of 3.0 and "Many of them come from dis- is to make sure all of them contin- cannot afford living expenses. Mohd Sharif, did not know what to above," said Ibrahim. jointed families. The RM500- ue their tertiary studies as far as Also, the students do not have to write when asked his father's "One scored 4 flat. Remember, RM1,000 these children bring home they can go. Once in the prog- repay the money or even be bond- name. His mum died when he was these students were not picked for means a lot to the families. So, they ramme, even at certificate level, ed to the company. In fact, they do just one month old and his father being high achievers. These are do not want to send the children to a recipient stays until the first not even need to apply. remarried, leaving Akidd with a just children of B40 families who study," said Razif. degree. The selection process is done different family. are willing to work hard and get His team was surprised when "Our plan is to develop a learn- through the Bahagian Pengurusan His foster father and mother good scores." some 60 of the 1,000 recipients ing journey for the students," said Kemasukan Pelajar (BPKP) or Unit are the only parents he has ever The students are picked largely turned down the grant in the first Ibrahim. Pusat Universiti (UPU), and priority known. Finally, he wrote his foster for STEM and TVET courses year. Surprise turned to shock For people like Ibrahim and is given to families registered father's name as his guardian. because the trust's target is not just when some of the officers were Razif, it's a journey of love. For the under eKasih. "He is my father," said Akidd. academic excellence, but also to chased away by parents, who students, it's a journey to success. VALUATOR

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