SEREMBAN: A total of 150 Negri Sembilan-born graduates, who received first-class degrees last year, received RM5,000 each from the state government at a ceremony here today.
The RM800,000 First Class Excellent Graduates Award, allocated by the Negri Sembilan Foundation, was given by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, who advised them to use the knowledge gained to benefit the society and to collaborate with the government to develop the state.
He said that the state government had also introduced various forms of aid and initiatives for schoolchildren as well as students in Public Institutions of Higher Learning (IPTA), especially those from the lower income group.
Among them are the Institution of Higher Learning Excellence Incentive, where excellent students will receive RM1,000 (for degree level), RM750 (diploma) and RM500 (certificate); cost of living aid of RM100 for each child in the state who is from the B40 household income group; a one-off school aid for Felda children worth RM100; RM50 monthly assistance for school bus fare; and RM3 million worth of aid for private tahfiz centres as well as Chinese and Tamil national-type schools.
Also present at the ceremony were State Assembly Speaker Datuk Zulkefly Mohamad Omar, State Secretary Datuk Dr Razali Ab Malik and state Investment, Industrialisation, Entrepreneurship, Education and Human Capital Committee chairman Dr Mohamad Rafie Ab Malek. — Bernama
