Sandakan: The Higher Education Ministry (KPT) has identified eight students from higher education institutions affected by the fire that destroyed Kampung Bahagia in Sandakan, Sabah, last week. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir stated that the ministry, through the Yayasan Perkasa Siswa, promptly traced the students impacted by the disaster after being notified.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said, "So far, we have identified eight students from the affected area, and we have decided to assist them to help ease their burden, especially those who are continuing their studies at higher education institutions."
He made this statement while speaking to reporters after attending the Malaysia-Trkiye Education Forum 2026: The Shared Purpose: Building Empathetic World Through Education at Universiti Sains Malaysia today. Among the assisted students is Sitti Farhana Nasib, a 21-year-old first-year student at USM, who received RM3,000 in immediate aid.
Zambry mentioned that the aid is meant to ensure that affected students can continue their education despite losing their homes and facing hardships. He has instructed Yayasan Perkasa Siswa to continue identifying any other affected students who may not yet have come forward.
On April 19, a fire destroyed about 1,000 homes in Kampung Bahagia, a water village in Sandakan, displacing thousands of residents.
Meanwhile, Zambry stated that Malaysia and Trkiye will continue holding annual bilateral meetings on higher education to strengthen strategic cooperation between the two countries. The collaboration will cover student and academic exchanges, joint research initiatives, and scholarship offerings from both sides.
Initiatives agreed upon include student mobility programmes that allow students to spend two years studying in Malaysia and two in Trkiye, as well as expanded scholarship opportunities at Malaysian universities. Additionally, Malaysia and Trkiye have agreed to establish a joint academic institute, with Malaysia's component based at the International Islamic University Malaysia and Universiti Malaya, while a partner institution in Trkiye will be identified later.