KOTA KINABALU, 21 June 2026 (The Capital Post) – The Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) and the Sabah government are strengthening their strategic partnership to expand access to quality higher education and accelerate the development of talent needed to support high-growth, high-value (HGHV) industries.
According to a post on the official Facebook page of Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi, the commitment was reinforced through a working visit by Deputy Secretary-General (Development) Datuk Ts. Dr Mohd Nor Azman Hassan to Tawau and Kota Kinabalu.
The visit focused on monitoring higher education infrastructure projects and coordinating strategic initiatives with the Sabah government to support human capital development in the state.
The programme began with a site visit to the proposed location for the new Politeknik Tawau campus to assess the suitability of the identified land and surrounding area as part of efforts to strengthen technical and vocational education and training (TVET) capacity in Sabah’s east coast region.
Mohd Nor Azman also visited Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sabah Branch’s Tawau campus and the existing Politeknik Tawau campus to evaluate infrastructure upgrade requirements, learning facilities and the welfare needs of academic staff and students.
The ministry said the assessment would provide KPT with a comprehensive understanding of the development needs of existing institutions and support efforts to create more conducive, inclusive and sustainable higher education environments.
-Advertisement-
Later, the KPT delegation paid a courtesy call on Sabah State Public Service director-general Datuk Zainudin Aman at Menara Kinabalu to strengthen collaboration between the ministry and the state government in advancing higher education initiatives.
During the meeting, both parties acknowledged the allocation of nearly RM150 million in scholarship funding for Sabah students pursuing higher education, while reaffirming their commitment to developing highly skilled talent to meet the needs of HGHV industries.
The delegation also held discussions with Sabah Education and Innovation Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Hassan Mahali, focusing on the proposed development of the new Politeknik Tawau campus and UiTM’s Strategic Rationalisation Plan to ensure policy alignment and facilitate state-level consideration.
KPT said the integrated efforts are expected to create greater opportunities for local communities to access higher education while strengthening the talent development ecosystem in support of the Malaysia MADANI agenda and Sabah’s socio-economic growth.
Also present during the visit were UiTM vice-chancellor Datuk Prof. Dr Shahrin Sahib, deputy director-general of the Department of Polytechnic and Community College Education Haji Ulaimi Yahya, as well as senior officials from KPT, the Sabah government and related agencies. – The Capital Post
