Hajiji recalls mother borrowing RM15 for exam fees as he vows poverty will not define Sabah children

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor of Sabah has committed to ensuring that poverty does not hinder the educational progress of the state's children, drawing from his own experiences growing up in hardship.

He has increased the Sabah State Government Scholarship allocation to RM155 million by 2026, benefiting 480,000 students to date.

Furthermore, the state is advancing infrastructure and economic development, including road, water, and housing projects, with a focus on equitable growth across all communities.

Hajiji also emphasizes Sabah's continued pursuit of its rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 with the Federal Government.

KUDAT, Oct 18 — Ensuring that poverty does not determine the fate of Sabah’s children or stand in the way of their progress has become a personal mission and commitment for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

He said this resolve is rooted in his own life experiences: growing up in poverty, losing his father at a young age, working as a fisherman and a farmer and watching his mother struggle to raise him.

In an emotional account, he recalled how his mother had to borrow RM15 from relatives to pay for his Lower Certificate of Education (LCE) examination fees in 1971, as she wanted to give him a chance to break free from the cycle of poverty through education.

“Parents today face the same challenges in raising their children and providing them with an education. That is why I have firmly resolved to ensure poverty does not determine the fate of our children. Education is what can lift our children out of poverty.

“If the government has the means to remove even one obstacle from a Sabah child’s journey towards progress and success, then at the very least, we must not allow poverty to determine their fate before they even have the chance to try,” he said.

Hajiji, who is also Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman, said this in his keynote address at the 2026 GRS Convention at Dewan Tun Mustapha here today.

Driven by this commitment, he said he had ensured that the state government increased the allocation for the Sabah State Government Scholarship (BKNS) to RM155 million in 2026, up from RM55 million in 2021, to fund the education of students from underprivileged backgrounds.

He said 480,000 students had so far benefitted from 14 educational assistance initiatives under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development framework, including the BUDI cash assistance, Ihsan Computer Assistance (BAIK) and student flight ticket subsidy (SUBFLY).

Addressing the economic landscape, Hajiji stressed that the Sabah government was now ready to move into a phase of genuine development empowerment to address long-standing issues affecting the people, supported by increased state revenue that had reached RM7 billion annually.

“Efforts to address large-scale infrastructure needs are being set in motion through the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), which includes 173 Public Works Department (JKR) road network development projects and 77 projects related to water treatment plants and supply systems throughout the state,” he added.

He said the Commercial Collaboration Agreement (CCA) with Petronas in 2021 also marked a significant turning point, boosting the participation of local vendors in the oil and gas sector to 499 contracts in 2025, compared with just 133 previously.

“The state government is also committed to continuing Sabah’s pursuit of its rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) at the negotiating table with the Federal Government, guided by facts, financial data and a strong legal basis,” he said.

Hajiji said the state’s ongoing infrastructure and economic development efforts were complemented by targeted welfare initiatives, including the construction of 11,000 homes under the ‘Rumah Mesra SMJ’ initiative to assist vulnerable groups and young couples.

He added that construction would continue, with a target of building 50 ‘Rumah Mesra SMJ’ homes in each state constituency this year to ensure that the benefits of Sabah’s progress were shared by all, including rural and interior communities. — Bernama

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沙巴州首席部长拿督斯里哈吉吉·诺尔承诺，将确保贫困不会阻碍该州儿童的教育进步，他以自己在艰苦环境中成长的经历为例。

他已将沙巴州政府奖学金拨款增加到 2026 年的 1.55 亿令吉，迄今为止已惠及 48 万名学生。

此外，该州正在推进基础设施和经济发展，包括道路、水利和住房项目，重点是实现所有社区的公平增长。

哈吉吉还强调，沙巴将继续根据 1963 年马来西亚协议与联邦政府达成的权利来争取自身权益。

古达，10 月 18 日讯——确保贫困不会决定沙巴儿童的命运，也不会阻碍他们的进步，已成为首席部长拿督斯里哈吉吉·诺尔的个人使命和承诺。

他说，这种决心源于他自己的人生经历：在贫困中长大，年幼丧父，当过渔民和农民，看着母亲辛苦把他抚养长大。

在一段充满感情的叙述中，他回忆起1971年，他的母亲为了让他有机会通过教育摆脱贫困的循环，不得不向亲戚借了15令吉来支付他的初级教育证书（LCE）考试费用。

“如今，父母在养育子女和为他们提供教育方面面临着同样的挑战。正因如此，我坚定地决心确保贫困不会决定我们孩子的命运。教育才能使我们的孩子摆脱贫困。”

他说：“如果政府有能力消除沙巴儿童通往进步和成功道路上的哪怕一个障碍，那么至少我们绝不能让贫困在他们有机会尝试之前就决定他们的命运。”

沙巴人民联盟（GRS）主席哈吉吉今天在敦慕斯塔法礼堂举行的2026年GRS大会上发表主旨演讲时说了这番话。

他表示，正是出于这种承诺，他已确保州政府将沙巴州政府奖学金（BKNS）的拨款从 2021 年的 5500 万令吉增加到 2026 年的 1.55 亿令吉，以资助来自贫困背景的学生的教育。

他表示，迄今为止，已有 48 万名学生受益于沙巴进步再也 (SMJ) 发展框架下的 14 项教育援助计划，其中包括 BUDI 现金援助、Ihsan 计算机援助 (BAIK) 和学生机票补贴 (SUBFLY)。

谈到经济形势，哈吉吉强调，沙巴州政府现在已准备好进入真正的发展赋权阶段，以解决长期影响人民的问题，这得益于每年高达 70 亿令吉的州财政收入的增长。

他补充说：“为解决大规模基础设施需求，第十三个马来西亚计划（13MP）正在启动，其中包括公共工程局（JKR）的173个道路网络发展项目和全州范围内的77个与水处理厂和供水系统相关的项目。”

他表示，2021 年与马来西亚国家石油公司 (Petronas) 签署的商业合作协议 (CCA) 也标志着一个重要的转折点，将本地供应商参与石油和天然气行业的合同数量从之前的 133 份增加到 2025 年的 499 份。

“州政府也致力于在与联邦政府的谈判桌上，以事实、财务数据和强有力的法律依据为指导，继续维护沙巴在1963年马来西亚协议（MA63）下的权利，”他说。

哈吉吉表示，该州正在进行的基础设施和经济发展工作与有针对性的福利举措相辅相成，其中包括根据“Rumah Mesra SMJ”计划建造11000套住房，以帮助弱势群体和年轻夫妇。

他补充说，建设工作将继续进行，今年的目标是在每个州选区建造50套“Rumah Mesra SMJ”房屋，以确保沙巴发展带来的成果惠及所有人，包括农村和内陆社区。——马新社

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