Kuala Lumpur, 25 September - On 24th of September 2020, Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) announced its commitment to create equal education opportunities in Malaysia by awarding 560 scholarships and bursaries worth RM25 million in the year 2020/2021.

To commence the YSD education sponsorship initiatives this year, the foundation presented scholarship and bursary awards worth RM10 million to the first batch of 121 recipients at a YSD Scholarship Award Ceremony (SAC) on the same day. Held at the Sime Darby Convention Centre and attended by about 50 guests, the special occasion was graced by YSD Chairman Y.A.M. Tunku Tan Sri Imran Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja'afar and Guest of Honour Dewan Negara Senator YB Ras Adiba Radzi.

This year’s SAC theme is “Celebrating the Diversity of YSD Scholar Recipients”. The award recipients are outstanding young individuals who come from various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, and 11 of whom are differently-abled students. In receiving support from YSD, the 121 scholars will be able to pursue their tertiary education at top universities in Malaysia, UK, China and Papua New Guinea.

In his welcoming speech, Y.A.M. Tunku Imran said that 88% of YSD scholarship and bursary recipients are students of low-income backgrounds and the support will ensure that they have access to quality higher education. He also shared the inspiring stories of two award recipients — Gowri a/p K. Marappan and Mohd Farhan Bryan — at the event. While Gowri received a YSD Special Needs Bursary to pursue a degree in Business Administration at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Mohd Farhan received the YSD – Sime Darby Berhad Excellence Scholarship Award to undergo a 2-year Cambridge A-Level programme leading to a top global university placement.

“I have high hopes that Gowri, Farhan Bryan and all the recipients will realise their full potential with life-changing opportunities and secure a better future for themselves and their families,” he added.
 
As the Guest of Honour, YB Ras Adiba Radzi was invited to present certificates to the differently-abled scholars as well as the YSD Chairman’s Award recipient, Amirul Hakim Noor Haizat who completed his MBA degree from Oxford University, and YSD Inspirational Award recipient, UKM graduate Joel Koitaka from Papua New Guinea.

Guests were also treated to special performances by YSD project partner, ASK Dance Company (ADC), a local award-winning and leading professional dance collective which preserves Malaysia’s diverse cultures and heritage through workshops and online classes offered to the public for free, among other endeavours.

Guest speaker and former YSD scholar Nadeera K. Vasu, who is also a Youth Advocate for the Malaysian Rare Disorders Society (MRDS) and finalist of the Miss Amazing Malaysia 2020/21 beauty pageant for differently-abled women shared her personal experience and journey in hopes to empower the new YSD scholars and society at large.

"I graduated from school with exceptionally flying colours, obtaining an award for being the best-performing OKU student in the state of Johor. After that, I pursued my undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Nottingham and eventually obtained the Special Needs Bursary from YSD during the final year of my undergraduate degree, after numerous attempts of trying to obtain a scholarship. Being differently-abled should not stop one from achieving ambitious goals and I am thankful that I was given an opportunity to pursue my education at the tertiary level. I would like to express my gratitude to Yayasan Sime Darby for the support the foundation has given me,” said Nadeera during her motivational speech to the new scholars.

Nadeera added that she believes everyone should dream big, be aware of their potential, and always strive to challenge themselves despite the obstacles in life while taking care of their mental well-being.

Since its inception, the philanthropic arm of Sime Darby Plantation Berhad, Sime Darby Berhad and Sime Darby Property Berhad; has always placed a great emphasis on education. Through their scholarships and bursaries, the foundation has benefitted 4,581 students, providing them with opportunities to pursue their academic dreams. In line with its life-long commitment to contribute to society, the foundation also honours and supports its differently-abled scholars in hopes to help them by providing financial assistance to pursue their tertiary education.

With the launch of the YSD Skill Enrichment Programme in January 2020, YSD awards bursaries for TVET students to pursue diploma and professional certificate programmes at various polytechnic institutions and private skills centers nationwide. YSD is planning to award another 420 TVET bursaries worth RM14 million commencing November 2020 with the support from the Ministry of Education and YSD TVET partners, in line with the government agenda of providing TVET education for more employment opportunities, especially to the underprivileged.

To date, the foundation has awarded scholarships and bursaries worth nearly RM300 million to students from different segments of society particularly from middle to low-income families. Students are welcomed to apply for YSD’s scholarships and bursary programmes which will formally be opened in March 2021.