Kuala lumpur: The educational assistance provided by the Perak state government through the Menteri Besar Scholarship continues to have a positive impact on students as it helps lighten the financial burden of families and is a catalyst for academic excellence and preparation to continue their studies at higher learning institutions.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, scholarship recipient Yoong Lam, 20, from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Sultan Yussuff, who obtained an excellent Overall Grade Point Average (OGPA) of 4.00 in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), said the RM1,200 assistance she receives each semester is used to pay her fees, buy reference books, and attend tuition classes. As the eldest of two siblings, she noted that the assistance also lightens the burden on her father, who is self-employed and the main breadwinner of the family. "This scholarship really helps a lot and reduces the burden on parents, so I hope other students study hard so they have the opportunity to receive assistance like this," she expressed.
She shared these thoughts when approached by reporters at the Perak State Level appreciation ceremony for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), STPM, and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) students in 2025, held today. The ceremony was officiated by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and was also attended by Perak Education director Zulkafli Mohamed Mokhtar and Yayasan Perak general manager Dr. Nasreen Khanum Nawab Zadah Khan.
Another scholarship recipient, Muhammad Haziq Hafit, 19, from Al-Ulum Al-Syar'Iyyah Religious Secondary School (SMA) Bagan Datuk, mentioned that the RM1,000 assistance he received would be used in preparation for entering university. "Alhamdulillah, this assistance has given my family some relief in preparing for the initial needs before starting studies. I plan to continue my studies in the field of education at the University of Malaya (UM) and I will use this assistance later," said Muhamad Haziq, who achieved excellent results in the STAM.
For another scholarship recipient from the same school, Muhammad Taufiq Ikwan Mohammad Asri, 19, the assistance will be used to prepare for his further studies in Egypt. "Although the amount is not as large as other scholarships, the assistance is very meaningful, especially for students from middle-income families. I am grateful that this assistance can be used to purchase various necessities before leaving to continue my studies," he remarked.
Earlier, Saarani, in his speech, highlighted that Perak recorded a state average grade (GPN) of 4.49 for the 2025 SPM results, marking the best achievement in 13 years and continuing the trend of increasing performance for three consecutive years. He noted that this achievement demonstrated that the continuous efforts of all parties in strengthening the quality of education in Perak were on the right track, with the achievement gap between candidates in urban and rural areas of only 0.04 points, indicating increasingly balanced opportunities to obtain quality education and achieve excellence throughout the state.
Meanwhile, Zulkafli stated that the SPM additional reference book initiative under the Tuisyen Cikgu Saarani (TCS) Programme was identified as one of the factors that helped improve the 2025 SPM achievements in Perak, in addition to being expanded this year to candidates in tahfiz schools and religious schools. He explained that the programme, led by Yayasan Perak in collaboration with the Perak State Education Department (JPN), is among the interventions focused on helping SPM candidates, especially potential passers, master core subjects through more structured, concise, and effective learning materials.
"This reference book was developed by experienced teachers and educators based on an analysis of the actual needs of students in the state of Perak, with an emphasis on mastery of concepts and answering techniques," he said. According to Zulkafli, a total of 63,567 copies of the additional SPM reference book have been distributed to daily school students throughout Perak, especially among potential candidates who need additional guidance for this year, which will benefit nearly 25,000 SPM 2026 candidates throughout the state.
"In an effort to expand reach, this initiative has also been extended for the first time to potential passers of SPM at Sekolah Menengah Tahfiz Darul Ridzuan (SMTDR) and Sekolah Menengah Agama Rakyat (SMAR) under the supervision of the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk)," he added.