Ewon: Commitment to education

25 October 2023

By AVV

KOTA KINABALU: Yayasan Bank Rakyat (YBR) celebrated 146 outstanding students who have completed their Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) and Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM) examinations in the Penampang area and assist in the educational advancement of students there.

YBR held a ceremony at St. Michael Secondary School in Penampang, where incentives were presented to students who achieved excellent results in their exams, with the objective of enhancing their academic performance and motivating them to succeed in the future.

The Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative, Datuk Ewon Benedict who used to study at that school; presented the incentives. He also spoke about his experiences during his student days in the school sharing fond memories.

Ewon stated that the continuous support provided by YBR in assisting the children of Sabah is highly appreciated, especially in helping those who are less fortunate and in need.

"Our commitment to education is aimed at uplifting the academic achievements and future prospects of these students," Ewon who is also Penampang Member of Parliament added.

Speaking to reporters after the event he said students who were not able to take the SPM examination, can be steered into entrepreneurship.

"At the ministry level, we also want to be part of the solution to this problem. We aspire to make entrepreneurship an option for them because without an SPM certificate, they will undoubtedly face challenges in entering any college or university.

"So, the choice is to venture into entrepreneurship. We want to develop an entrepreneurship TVET module, an accredited course, and provide initial financing for young people or youth who start businesses," he said.

Ewon mentioned that in order to further study and implement this, he will see how the Entrepreneurship TVET module can be developed as an option for young people to start their own businesses.

"However, this module is not limited to those who do not have an SPM certificate only, but it will also be tailored for everyone, including SPM graduates or higher education institute students who want to start a business.

"We are currently studying and discussing this matter. Hopefully, next year we can launch this programme," he said.

Ewon mentioned that as a starting point under SME Corp, one of the agencies under his ministry, the Tunas Usahawan Programme has been improved, with the financing amount increased to RM30,000 compared to RM15,00 previously.

The event was attended by the Chairman of YBR, Datuk Philip Benedict Lasimbang; Chief Executive Officer of YBR, Syaiful Rizal Abdul Ghani; Head of YBR's Operations Division, Mohd Mukhti Abd Rahman; and Manager of YBR's Corporate Communications Department, Mohamad Ghazali Zainal Abidin.