Curtin Malaysia charts 2024 future directions with Miri secondary schools

Miri – 3 January 2024 – Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) shared its vision for 2024 and kindled excitement for the future of education in the region with school counsellors from all 16 secondary schools in Miri City during a meeting at its campus recently.

Curtin Malaysia is Curtin University’s largest global campus and hub in ASEAN. It is owned by the Sarawak government through Yayasan Sarawak and managed and operated under a joint venture with Curtin University, a global university recognised as being among the top one per cent of universities worldwide.

Among the exciting developments highlighted at the meeting was the opening of the Yayasan Sarawak English Enhancement Programme (EEP) to new cohorts in 2024 beginning with Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2023 leavers.

The EEP, which has been offered free-of-charge at Curtin Malaysia since early last year, is aimed at  enhancing English proficiency among local students and prepare them for tertiary education in the language. It also empowers them with the language skills to thrive in a highly globalised world. Registration for the first intake for the year in April is now open.

To foster a community spirit and support local students preparing for the upcoming SPM 2024, Curtin Malaysia announced the opening of its library to Form 5 students living in the Senadin area during the critical months of February and March so that they have a modern, conducive place to swot for the examination.

This was done previously where a good number of students took the opportunity to use the library facilities, and is a gesture that underscores Curtin Malaysia’s commitment to nurturing local talent and supporting their academic journey.

Another highlight was the continuation of the Yayasan Sarawak BP40 Bursary Scheme, which is an initiative by the Sarawak government to make tertiary education, including at Curtin Malaysia, more accessible to Sarawak Bumiputera students in the B40 and M40 family income brackets, covering up to 80 per cent of their tuition fees. The remaining 20 per cent can be covered under Yayasan Sarawak’s Convertible Education Loan Scholarship, ensuring that financial considerations will not be an impediment to educational aspirations.

The Yayasan Sarawak Convertible Education Loan Scholarship is available to all Sarawakian students, both Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera, ensuring that the door to higher education is open to all, irrespective of their backgrounds.

Furthermore, in conjunction with its 25th Anniversary this year, Curtin Malaysia unveiled the Curtin Malaysia Corporate Discount which offers a 25 per cent tuition fee discount to staff of local schools and their children. This outstanding gesture is a testament to the university’s deep-rooted connection with the local education community and its unwavering commitment to giving back.

The school counsellors were also encouraged to support Curtin Malaysia’s Inspired By University (IBU) Programme, Curtin Malaysia’s iconic initiative to encourage secondary school students to aspire to tertiary education by conducting various on-campus activities to give them a taste of university life. The IBU programme is also brought to schools through the conducting of fairs, talks, workshops and competitions. The idea is to demonstrate that higher education to accessible to all and is geared to meet the needs of the community.

The meeting was more than a discussion of plans and programmes; it was a heartfelt promise from Curtin Malaysia to people of Miri, especially the youth. As the university embarks on these initiatives, it stands as a beacon of change and driver of the future of education in Miri with a visionary and inclusive approach for the year of 2024.

For more information on Curtin Malaysia, visit curtin.edu.my or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or TikTok.

Curtin Malaysia’s External Engagement Manager Muhamad Rahman Sallehin (4th right) with the school counsellors