AMPANG JAYA, Jan 18 — Over 160,000 Form Four and Form Five students in the state are benefiting from the Selangor People’s Tuition Programme (PTRS) this year, using a RM10 million allocation.
Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari said it had contributed to an improvement in the state's National Average Grade (GPN) last year. As such, the state government is targeting some 200,000 students to receive free tuition by 2027.
“Previously, between 2008 and 2016, the number of students involved in PTRS was only around 5,000 to 6,000. From 2018 onwards, we strengthened it through collaboration with the Selangor Education Department.
"Today, we have succeeded in extending the benefits of this programme to more than 160,000 students, complete with sponsored lunches,” he said.
Amirudin was delivering his address during the SMK Taman Melawati fundraising dinner organised by its Parent-Teacher Association at the MPAJ Convention Centre last night.
He added that the state also pays attention to primary school pupils, particularly those facing difficulties with their 3M skills (reading, writing, and arithmetic).
“We also want to help students master Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which offer significant employment opportunities in the future,” Amirudin said.
The Menteri Besar, who also holds the state education portfolio, said the state government is sponsoring about 4,000 Selangor-born students to further their studies at Universiti Selangor (Unisel) and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor (UIS) this year.
“Priority is given to students from low-income (B40) and middle-income (M40) groups. This helps them avoid having to fully repay loans from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN),” he said.
During the dinner, Amirudin also presented a RM100,000 via the Menteri Besar's Office and Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) or MBI to SMK Taman Melawati, to ensure a more conducive learning environment for its students.
