Kuala lumpur: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) will organise a large-scale carnival from May 1 to 5 in conjunction with its 60th anniversary this year. MARA chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the highlight of the carnival, to be held at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL), will be the official launch of the anniversary celebration by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on May 3.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the event is expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors and will bring together all institutions and agencies under the MARA umbrella, spanning services, education, and entrepreneurship. At the carnival, SPM leavers can obtain information on furthering their studies at MARA educational institutions. It will also provide opportunities for direct recruitment into MARA's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes.

In addition to public higher education institutions and MARA's own educational facilities, the carnival will feature private higher education institutions offering various programmes to students. Asyraf Wajdi mentioned that an entrepreneurship carnival will showcase a wide range of products developed by MARA, as well as the services it provides to the public. It will also offer an opportunity for MARA borrowers and debtors to discuss possible restructuring or rescheduling arrangements if they are facing financial difficulties.

Asyraf Wajdi noted that the carnival, which will run from 9 am to 10 pm daily, will include more than 100 programmes, such as food booths and the participation of social media influencers from across the country. MARA, an agency under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, was established on March 1, 1966, as a statutory body under an Act of Parliament following a resolution of the first Bumiputera Economic Congress in 1965.