MELAKA, Sept 28 — The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) are serious about helping the children of military personnel and veterans to get quality education services.
In fact, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said Mindef with the cooperation of the Armed Forces Fund Board Foundation (YLTAT) had carried out eight programmes to ensure academic excellence of military children will continue to persist.
He said this includes the Dermasiswa Premium programme where children of military personnel and veterans receive a one-off incentive of RM5,000 if they managed to enter any of the world’s top 100 universities to pursue a Bachelor’s degree.
“Under the MAF Children’s Fifth Pillar Savings Scheme (SPARK), a total of 13,500 military children attending schools in military camps will be given a Tabung Haji savings account with YLTAT’s donation of RM50 each, involving a total cost of RM675,000.
“A sum of RM150,000 has been allocated for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Elite Touch Programme where military children who will sit for the SPM examination will be helped to improve their academic performance, especially in core subjects, and this involves a collaboration of specialist teachers from high-performing-schools and MARA Junior Science College (MRSM).”
Hishammuddin said this to reporters after visiting the Terendak MRSM at Terendak Camp here today, which was also attended by Army chief General Tan Sri Zamrose Mohd Zain.
The minister said the Train and Place programme organised with the cooperation of Yayasan Peneraju had also given the military children the opportunity to gain experience and skills in vocational fields as well as job matching with relevant industries.
He said the Sponsorship Programme for Foundation in Arts with Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Unirazak) has been expanded to the children of MAF and Mindef personnel from only 2,500 children of military veterans before.
“Apart from that, 165 military children who excelled in their SPM examination last year have also received an incentive of RM1,500 each under the MAF Academic Excellence Award programme and 64 others received a one-off incentive of RM1,000 under the Public Institution of Higher Learning (IPTA) Admission Aid programme.
“A total of 150 military children who were offered a place to pursue a degree at public university for the 2021/2022 session, have received a free laptop computer, involving an allocation of RM450,000, under the Laptop Computer Assistance programme,” he added.
Hishamuddin said Mindef and MAF will continue to discuss with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that more ideas and views to improve the MAF education system can be fine-tuned and expanded in the future.
“This includes working closely with the Ministry of Education to identify room for more cooperation that not only benefit military children but also other students throughout the country,” he said.
