KUCHING: The state government is on track to provide free tertiary education to qualified Sarawak students at its five institutions of higher learning by 2026.

Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said he expects the intakes into these universities will be smooth once it starts.

"I want to emphasise here is that free tertiary education is for qualified students, whether they are from the rural or rural areas and whether they are from the poor or rich families, regardless of their racial and religious backgrounds," said in his speech at the opening of the Sarawak Education Expo 2024  here today.

Students from poor families, he said, will not have the chance to pursue their tertiary education if the state government does not provide free education as the cost of studying in the universities is very high.

"That is why all must be given the opportunity to study at the university level," he said.

Abang Johari also said that he has just been informed that the federal government has given the green light for the state-owned I-CATS University College to set up an Aerospace Faculty.

He said the approval to set up the faculty must be given by the federal Higher Education Ministry recently.

"The first batch intake of students into this faculty will be carried in September this year," he said when asked to elaborate on his speech earlier.

He said the degree course for the aerospace study will be held either at the I-CATS main campus here or the Centre of Technological Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS) in Petra Jaya.

Abang Johari said he has approved an allocation of about RM300 million to build a new I-CATS Campus at the seaside area of Trombol in Telaga Air.

He said the site is strategically located as it is not far from Lundu, Sematan, and Kuching.

"Once completed, it will be equipped with modern facilities, especially at the Aerospace Faculty, to produce the right graduates and to upgrade Sarawak as centre of modern planning," he said.

Later, the premier witnessed the exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the Sarawak Foundation with the state-owned institutions Curtin University Malaysia, Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus, University Technology Sarawak (UTS) and I-CATS University College.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/07/1082498/sarawak-track-provide-free-higher-education-qualified-sarawakians-2026