The rector of Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Sarawak branch, Firdaus Abdullah, said Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg has agreed in principle to the proposal, particularly for UiTM Sarawak students, to strengthen the state’s skilled workforce.

“This initiative will be implemented in the next phase, which is the second phase, where free education will be extended to students from Sarawak at public higher education institutions in the state, especially UiTM Sarawak,” Bernama quoted him as saying after a courtesy call on Abang Johari today.

The first phase of the free higher education initiative currently covers five institutions: i-CATS University College, Sarawak Centre of Excellence for Technology, Sarawak University of Technology, Curtin University Malaysia, and Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak.

Firdaus also said Abang Johari has proposed a collaboration between UiTM Sarawak and the state government in the agriculture sector.

Under this initiative, UiTM Mukah would serve as a hub for rice cultivation projects, focusing on research and development of rice seeds, improving productivity, and increasing yields.

“We will establish a research team to conduct studies and propose to the Sarawak government how we can assist in terms of technology, infrastructure, and rice cultivation productivity for the state.

“This also includes carbon storage as rice cultivation is related to this matter,” he said.