Yayasan Sime Darby Offers 380 Scholarships Worth RM22.6 million in 2012

The scholarships are open to individuals who wish to pursue their academic dreams at tertiary level, locally or overseas. In 2011, the foundation gave away 233 scholarships worth RM20.5 million.

Half the scholarships offered this year are under the YSD Bursary Programme, for deserving students who not only possess academic potential but are from low income families with a household income of less than RM2,500, including those who are physically challenged. Successful candidates will be able to pursue diploma and undergraduate courses in Malaysia.

YSD is also offering scholarships to 60 vocationally inclined students under the YSD Skill Enrichment Programme. The programme aims to support students who are financially constrained but are keen to pursue vocational studies at the Sime Darby academies. These successful candidates will pursue diploma level or technical certificate programmes at Sime Darby Plantation Academy, Sime Darby Nursing and Health Sciences College or Sime Darby Industrial Academy.

Speaking at a press conference at the Sime Darby Convention Centre today, YSD Governing Council member Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Wan Mohd Zahid Mohd Noordin explained that YSD has more than doubled the allocation to 185 bursaries this year compared to only 80 last year, to provide the necessary assistance to the underprivileged.

“We strongly believe in helping them get a head start in life through education. It is our hope that the various scholarships and bursaries offered by YSD this year will bring students, particularly those from low income families, one step closer to education opportunities and be motivated to pursue higher education at various levels,” Zahid said.

He added that since YSD’s existence in 1982, the foundation has awarded scholarships to more than 1,434 outstanding, deserving and needy students locally and overseas with RM142 million spent over the past 30 years.
YSD is constantly looking for promising young talents who strive for excellence and are outstanding in different ways. One of the YSD scholarship recipients, Syarnissa Ahmad Dahuri was born with glaucoma in her left eye which left her blind. Despite the physical limitation, she has consistently attained good academic results while pursuing her degree in Bachelor of Commerce at Queensland Technology University, Australia.

Another YSD scholarship recipient, Ian Teng Weng Yew scored the highest results in the world for the South Australian Matriculation in 2010 with an Australian Tertiary Academic Rank (ATAR) of 99.95, achieving almost perfect scores in all five subjects. Ian is currently completing his degree at the University of New South Wales in Australia under the YSD Excellence Scholarship Programme.
In supporting Sime Darby’s aspiration to develop and nurture future leaders of high calibre, YSD also extends assistance in other countries such as Indonesia, China and Liberia.

From this year, scholarships are also being offered to China citizens to study abroad while 20 scholarships will be offered to Liberians to pursue their tertiary education, including five scholarships for degree courses in Malaysia.
The foundation will also continue to provide educational support to promising Indonesian students through a collaborative effort with PT. Minamas Gemilang, the Indonesian subsidiary of Sime Darby Berhad. This year, 60 scholarships will be offered to students to pursue diplomas and degrees at selected universities in Indonesia. Since the inception of the Minamas – Sime Darby Scholarship Programme in 2009, 94 deserving individuals including children of Minamas’ employees and children of residents living in and around Minamas’ estates have benefitted from scholarships worth over RM2.95 million.

Meanwhile, YSD will continue to sponsor individuals with excellent academic achievement and leadership qualities to attend courses at pre-university and undergraduate levels at selected top universities locally and overseas. The potential scholarship recipients will not only benefit full academic scholarships, but also be exposed to holistic developmental programmes prior to joining Sime Darby's workforce, internships and continuous personal support for scholars' welfare and academic performance during the tenure of their scholarships.

The annual YSD Scholars’ Development Programme held in July 2011 and January 2012 are among the development programmes pursued by YSD to continuously engage and harness the full potential of scholars under its wing. A total of 55 Malaysian YSD Scholars and 20 international YSD Scholars from Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong attended these two development programmes.
YSD has also introduced a new scholarship programme this year for 10 Malaysians proficient in Mandarin to pursue degrees at selected universities in China.

YSD will be organising scholarship recruitment drives and roadshows at various locations in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak from Mid March until May 2012. Scholarship details and applications will be available online at www.yayasansimedarby.com from 17 March 2012 onwards.

Apart from awarding scholarships and bursaries, YSD has been reaching out to the underprivileged communities through education and various platforms. YSD is currently supporting a pilot project for a transformation in the school system through the capacity-building of teachers to develop students in rural areas with a RM900,000 allocation over 3 years involving 2 secondary schools in Kampong Gajah, Seberang Perak.

Recently, YSD extended financial support for a two-year project with an RM1.68 million allocation through a collaborative effort between YSD and the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA). This programme aims to assist 60 average primary students (scoring Bs and Cs) from hardcore poor families to study at premier schools and boost their self esteem to excel in the UPSR examinations besides being active in co-curriculum activities.