He said the projects, which will be implemented next year, along with a huge federal budget allocation for Sabah, underscored the federal commitment to bolster education in the state.

Zambry said the projects include the upgrading of facilities at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus, polytechnics and community colleges in the state.

Special focus, he said, was given to community colleges in Sabah which played an important role, especially in rural areas.

Policies involving these institutions, therefore, had to be tailored to the realities on the ground. “Generally, community colleagues do not provide hostels (for students). But in Sabah and Sarawak’s case, it is very much needed,” he said at a dinner with the media, here.

Zambry said he learned that students at community colleges in Tambunan and Beaufort had to travel long distances every day just to attend classes. The government is looking into providing hostels to ensure those in rural areas would not be discouraged from furthering their studies.

Zambry said the provision of hostels would help the state produce highly-skilled graduates.