KUCHING, Dec 11 — The Sarawak government is contributing RM1 million to the national flood relief fund, said Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud. 

He said the contribution, which would to be extended to flood victims nationwide, was in response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s call to state governments, especially in flood-hit states, to emulate the federal government in giving a special aid to flood victims.

Abdul Taib made the announcement to reporters after officiating at the Sarawak Foundation’s Sarawak Chief Minister’s Special Award 2012 presentation ceremony, which was also attended by its chairman, Tan Sri Adenan Satem, who is also minister in the Chief Minister’s Office.

Earlier, in his speech, Abdul Taib urged the Sarawak Foundation to work closely with the Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Bumiputera Sarawak (Tegas) to provide scholarships in technical education to deserving bumiputera students in the state. 

He said there was a need for institutes of higher learning in the state’s public and private sector to offer relevant courses that matched the requirements of the current job market so as to avoid unemployment of graduates.

Adenan, meanwhile, said that over the years, the foundation had expanded its role of being associated with the granting of scholarships or providing financial assistance mostly to Sarawakians to pursue an academic education, to the training of technical manpower. 

With Sarawak gearing towards industrialisation, he said, the foundation was currently in partnership with three local universities — Curtin University Sarawak, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak and Kolej Laila Taib — to provide technical training to meet the future technical manpower demands for the industries.    

The special awards were won by SM Sains Miri (for the secondary school distinction category), SMK Tinggi Sarikei (secondary school excellent category), SMK Ulu Balingian, Selangau (secondary school promising category), SK Madrasah Datuk Abdul Kadir Hassan, Kuching (primary school distinction category), SK Kampung Kebuaw, Dalat (primary school excellent category) and SK Kampung Igan, Dalat (primary school promising category). — Bernama