KUANTAN, Sept 11 — The Pahang government has allocated RM14.767 million for the implementation of various assistance and initiatives specifically for education thus far, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

The recipients of the assistance, channelled through the Bantuan Prihatin Pahang initiative, include Year One pupils, Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) candidates as well as those in institutions of higher learning (IPT).

Apart from that, Wan Rosdy said the state government via Yayasan Pahang has also provided educational assistance including scholarships, with RM1.4 billion having been spent since the foundation’s establishment in 1982.

"Education is an area that the state government places great emphasis on to help build knowledgeable and confident Pahang youths. For sure various types of development, assistance as well as initiatives have been planned and implemented so that Pahang youths do not drop out of school,” he said.

Wan Rosdy said this in his speech at the launch of the book titled Budi Pujangga and Pahang Museum Education Club held at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (Perempuan) Methodist here today.

Also present were the Pahang State Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin, who previously served as the Pahang Museum Corporation chairman, and the corporation’s director Datuk Ahmad Farid Abdul Jalal.

On the establishment of the Pahang Museum Education Club, Wan Rosdy said it was hoped that the club would increase the appreciation of history as well as strengthen the identity of the country’s future generations.

"An interest in history needs to be cultivated in students and they should be given exposure so that they do not forget the historical heritage of the state and the country,” he also said.

The book, Budi Pujangga, is a collaboration between the Pahang Museum Corporation and the state Education Department. It contains a combination of Malay poetry namely pantun, seloka and gurindam that display the heritage and culture of the people in Pahang. — Bernama