Kuala Lumpur, 15 August 2018 – Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) has awarded RM11 million in scholarships and bursaries to 263 deserving Malaysian students this year, out of which 80% are underprivileged students from families with a monthly household income of RM4,000 and below. 

 Under the YSD Bursary Programme, bursaries worth about RM6.8 million were awarded to 191 underprivileged students to pursue tertiary education in any field of study at local public and private academic institutions as well as Sime Darby academies. Another 19 vocationally-inclined underprivileged students were awarded scholarships to obtain Certificates in Automotive from Sime Darby Industrial Academy. 

YSD Governing Council Member Datin Paduka Zaitoon Dato’ Othman said since 2012, the Foundation has been awarding scholarships to deserving students as it believes that education is the key to uplift families out of poverty. “Educational opportunities are most needed by students from low-income backgrounds, who face many challenges in life due to lack of opportunity stemming from their socio-economic status,” she said.

“Our role as a corporate foundation is to step in and bridge the gap with scholarships, providing them with an avenue to realise their full potential and securing a better future for themselves. “It is hoped that with this life changing opportunity, they will be able to help their families too,” she added. YSD also awarded excellence scholarships to 39 students with outstanding academic achievement to pursue pre-university, undergraduate and postgraduate studies at top universities in Malaysia, United Kingdom and China. 

Another 43 students were awarded scholarships to pursue diplomas in Nursing and Medical Assistant studies at Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare College while 25 vocationally-inclined students were awarded scholarships to obtain Certificates in Heavy Equipment from Sime Darby Industrial Academy. Under the Peneraju Tunas Potensi - YSD Bursary Programme, a collaboration between YSD and Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera (Yayasan Peneraju) that expands YSD’s reach to underprivileged communities, YSD has awarded bursaries worth more than RM 2.9 million to 83 underprivileged Bumiputera students this year. 

The programme will see RM18 million worth of bursaries awarded to at least 240 underprivileged Bumiputera students over a period of 5 years. The students are also required to undergo soft skills training annually, which includes English proficiency. Among the YSD scholars this year are students with compelling stories who have weathered many challenges before beginning their first year in university. One such scholar is Nurul Akmar Abdul Aziz, who was awarded the YSD Chairman Award 2018. 

Her experience of teaching English to mostly underprivileged students at SMK Abdullah II, Semporna, Sabah in 2011 for a period of four and a half years sparked her interest to pursue special education, particularly in the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. 

Akmar was awarded a YSD Postgraduate Overseas Scholarship in 2014 to pursue a Master of Education with a specialisation in Deaf Education and Reading Specialist – Dual Certification at the Teachers College, Columbia University, United States of America (USA). Upon completion of her postgraduate studies, Akmar will actively contribute her skills to the nation by working at the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf (MFD). It is highly anticipated that she will play an instrumental role towards national policy improvements, while building on MFD’s collaboration with local universities. 

Nur Aida Ab Ghani from Sime Darby Plantation Berhad’s Sustainability and Quality Management (PSQM) team was awarded a scholarship worth RM 100,000 to pursue a Master’s degree in Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) Management under the YSD – supported Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME) project. 

Her work will contribute towards policy enhancements at Sime Darby Plantation Berhad to tackle HEC in its plantation areas, the first of such a policy to be introduced on HEC management in the Asean region. Sime Darby Plantation Berhad aims to share the policy with other plantation companies, effectively being a catalyst for conservation in the area of HEC management. 

Education has been the main thrust of YSD, the philanthropic arm of Sime Darby, since its inception in 1982 to nurture and build the country’s talent pool. To date, YSD has committed over RM268 million for scholarships and bursaries, benefitting a total of 3,786 students from diverse backgrounds. This includes support amounting to more than RM27 million towards research and public advocacy on education development as well as initiatives which aim to reduce gaps in access to quality education between urban and rural societies, and improve access to basic education for the marginalised.