SIBU, Aug 7 2026: Graduates of Kolej Laila Taib (KLT) are being urged to play an important role in the efforts to revive Sibu's economy through the Sibu Economic Zone (SEZ), which was created to attract local talent and open up more development opportunities in the town.
.jpg)
Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dr Annuar Rapaee expressed regret that the feedback he received from almost 1,000 Sibu youths recently showed that most of them did not plan to return to work in the town after graduating from higher institutions of learning.
“Between 60 to 70 percent of them said they would not return to work in Sibu for various reasons.
“Among them are the lack of job opportunities, affordable housing and the modern lifestyle sought by the younger generation today,” he said when speaking at the Laila Taib College convocation ceremony at the Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud Chancellor’s Hall, Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS) today.
Dr Annuar said the situation showed the need to create more opportunities that could attract Sibu youth to contribute to the development of the town.
He said graduates should not only utilise the knowledge they have gained to build their own careers, but also shoulder the responsibility of contributing to the development of the community and the future of Sibu.
“The graduates who graduate today will play a very important role in our dream of revitalizing Sibu’s economy.
“I hope we can all work together to realize this dream so that Sibu becomes a modern city that does not need to depend on other areas,” he said.
According to Dr Annuar, he proposed the idea of establishing an SEZ to the state government during the recent Sarawakku Sayang (SKS) programme, as an effort to restore Sibu’s economic competitiveness, which previously depended heavily on the timber industry.
He said Premier Abang Johari Openg then agreed to the proposal and established the SEZ with an initial allocation of RM1.5 billion to revitalize Sibu’s economy.
A total of 158 graduates received their scrolls, consisting of 143 Diploma graduates and 15 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Programme graduates.
Wong Tze Ling and Jacqueline Wong Yun Fung were announced as recipients of the Book Prize Award.
Wong Tze Ling also received the Dean’s Award for the Diploma in Accounting programme together with Ryan Ting Jung Kiet, Jacqueline Wong Yun Fung, Wong Siew Hong and Angel Hii King Ling.
Wong Lee Ling received the Dean's Award for the Diploma in Business Management programme, while Lemuel Hii Ngo Cheng received the Dean's Award for the Diploma in Civil Engineering programme.
Also present were KLT chief executive officer Eric Wong and Sarawak Foundation director Mohamad Junaidi Mohidin.
No comments:
Post a Comment