PM: RM72m to develop 5,000 Bumiputera human capital next year

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak (pix) today announced that the Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera will allocate RM72 million for the development of about 5,000 Bumiputeras next year.
He said 500 of them would receive scholarships through the 'Peneraju Tunas' scheme; 3,500 through the 'Peneraju Skil' scheme and between 800 and 1,000 through the 'Peneraju Profesional' scheme that would include 500 pursuing accounting programmes.
The accounting programmes would encompass basic certification programmes such as CAT, CFAB, CAB-CIMA and professional certification programmes such as ACCA, CIMA, CPA Australia, ICAEW and MICPA-ICAA, he told a news conference after chairing a meeting of the Yayasan Peneraju board of trustees here.
Najib also said that the foundation would look into the second wave of scholarships to be given out between 2015 and 2017.
"Applications have been made for allocations. We will announce the subsequent programmes," he said.
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah also attended the meeting as members of the board.
Also present was foundation chief executive Raja Azura Raja Mahayuddin.
Yayasan Peneraju began operations in February 2012 with the objective of fulfilling the government aspiration to ensure that Bumiputeras can be competitive and contribute to national economic growth to enable Malaysia achieve developed nation status by 2020.
It is a trust fund established to ensure that the capability and expertise of Bumiputeras continue to be developed to enable them to be competitive on a global scale.
Yayasan Peneraju is a component of the Bumiputera Economic Transformation Roadmap under the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department.
Najib, who is the finance minister, said more than 4,000 people had received the first wave of scholarships, up to this year, under the Peneraju Tunas, Peneraju Skil and Peneraju Profesional schemes since the foundation started operations.
Najib said the foundation focused on students who came from households in the bottom 40% income group.
"We understand that many students of moderate achievement have high potential but poverty seems to prevent them from realising their true potential.
"Here then lies the role of the Yayasan Peneraju in enhancing their achievement at the school, skills and higher education levels," he said.
Meanwhile, Raja Azura said Yayasan Peneraju had set the target of providing scholarships to 17,000 students under the second wave.
"We will enhance the outreach programme with aid from the Education Ministry and identify more students with average results and raise their potential to excel in education," she said.
She said that since 2012, up to 1,401 students had received full scholarships under the Peneraju Tunas scheme which encompassed the Peneraju Tunas Geliba (for Primary School Assessment Test pupils entering secondary school) and Peneraju Tunas Potensi (for students who have completed the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia examinations).
She also said that 27 of 500 scholarship holders were or would be pursuing studies in 50 prestigious universities around the world.
Raja Azura said that for the Peneraju Skil scheme, a total of 2,249 had been sponsored, among them dropouts who were trained for employment.
As for the Peneraju Profesional scheme, 117 scholarship holders were given the opportunity to gain exposure in quality careers at international audit firms such as Ernst & Young and KPMG as well as undergo international accounting certification programmes, such as ACCA, ICAEW and MICPA, she said.
"This is an effort to increase the number of Bumiputera chartered accountants in the country," she added. – Bernama