SHAH ALAM, March 9 — The Sabah government is targeting 35,000 of its students studying at higher learning institutions nationwide to benefit from the Graduan Rindu Sabah Subsidi Tiket Penerbangan (GRS/SUBFLY) assistance, following the Federal Government’s support for the implementation of the initiative. 

Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the projection was based on the success of the programme’s implementation last year, which helped students cover travel costs to return to their home state.

“The GRS/SUBFLY initiative was first introduced by the Sabah government in 2024 following interactions and communication platforms with students who raised the issue of flight ticket costs to return to Sabah, especially during festive seasons.

“Last year, this assistance was implemented in collaboration with the Transport Ministry and was channelled to students with total expenditure amounting to RM11.7 million,” he told a press conference at the Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC) here yesterday.

According to him, a total of 19,505 Sabah students pursuing their studies in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan benefited from the programme last year through a subsidy of RM600 each.

Armizan said the increase in the number of recipients aims to ensure more Sabah students can return to their hometowns without being burdened by high flight costs.

At the same time, he said the Sabah government also channelled RM6.79 million to 22,649 students through the Sumbangan Mahasiswa Pengajian Tinggi Dalam Sabah (Sentosa), a one-off cash assistance initiative to ease the financial burden of Sabah students which was introduced last year.

“The one-off assistance of RM300 aims to help students cover transportation costs, particularly when returning to their hometowns during festive seasons.

“The implementation of these initiatives reflects the state government’s commitment to ensuring the welfare of Sabah students continues to be given attention,” he said.

Earlier, Armizan, representing the Sabah Chief Minister, spent time with 1,200 Sabah students from 31 higher learning institutions at a Breaking of Fast event for Peninsular Malaysia students at the SCCC. — Bernama