RM100 Million For Scholarships

The State Government has allocated more than RM100 million for the Sabah State Government Scholarship (Biasiswa Kerajaan Negeri Sabah or BKNS) for 2026, for students pursuing diploma, bachelor's degree and master's degree programmes and especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The scholarships include 2,182 students who are either existing recipients or new ones for 2026. The number of BKNS scholarship recipients is 13,389 as at July 2026.

BKNS has added 10 recipients to the Sabah State Government Excellent Scholarship Award (Biasiswa Cemerlang Kerajaan Negeri Sabah or BCKNS) in 2026, bringing the total number of recipients to 60. BCKNS has benefited 835 recipients with a total expenditure of RM141.29 million, while the Sabah State Education Fund (Tabung Pendidikan Negeri Sabah or TPNS), launched in 2022, has assisted 15,629 recipients involving allocations exceeding RM25 million.

"The State Government has always prioritised education development as it is the foundation for producing knowledgeable, skilled and competitive human capital," Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said at the 37th Sabah State Excellent Scholarship Awards ceremony on 30 July 2026 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Kota Kinabalu.

Hajiji, who is also Chairman of the Yayasan Sabah Board of Trustees, said that the Yayasan Sabah Group has also increased the number of recipients for the Sabah Excellent Scholarship Award by 10 to 50 recipients in 2026. In addition, Sabah also offers several major scholarship schemes, including the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sabah Excellence Scholarship, Premier Scholarship, Sabah State Government Excellent Scholarship and the B40 and Rural Programme Scholarship.

In the healthcare sector, the state government will offer 30 Sabahans to pursue Diplomas in Medical and Health Sciences; Diplomas in Physiotherapy; and Bachelor of Science degrees in Cardiovascular Technology at the IJN University College, Kuala Lumpur, where 15 Sabahans are presently undergoing the Patient Care Assistant Programme. In other potentially challenging industries, Hajiji urged students to continue exploring strategic fields such as oil and gas, energy, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and artificial intelligence (AI).