Smart card aid eases financial burden for Pitas students

KOTA KINABALU: For 15-year-old Alexa Grace Zulkeplee, every ringgit counts. A Form Three student at SMK Kanibongan in Pitas, she receives a modest monthly allowance of RM40 from her father, who operates a small farm.
"On school days, I usually spend just RM1 for food. That gets me through until lunch, which is provided at the hostel," she said. As the fourth of five siblings, she's always been mindful of her family's financial constraints, purchasing only essentials from the school cooperative.
Thanks to a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme by Sabah-owned oil and gas company SMJ Energy Sdn Bhd, she and 631 other students now benefit from a smart card assistance scheme.
The project, organised with the MyKasih Foundation, provides RM100 in monthly aid credited to smart cards, functioning like debit cards for purchasing school supplies and food items.
The initiative aims to ease the financial burden on B40 families and reduce barriers to education.
Finance Minister and SMJ Energy Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun (back row, third left), SMJE chief executive officer Dr Dionysia Kibat (back row, fourth right) and MyKasih Foundation deputy deputy chairman Jeffrey Perera (back row, third right) were all smiles with the smart card recipients during a simple launch at SMK Kanibongan in Pitas on Tuesday (June 10).
"I am really happy to receive this card because we don't have much. It helps lessen the burden on my parents," Alexa said.
Recognising Pitas as one of Sabah's most impoverished districts, the programme targets four primary and three secondary schools, benefiting over 2,000 students from low-income households.
"Pitas remains one of the most underdeveloped areas in Sabah. Roads and infrastructure are lacking, but development takes time.
"The key lies in our attitude, whether we give up or rise to the challenge," said Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, also SMJE chairman.
Sharing his own rural upbringing, Masidi recounted how his family had no roads and the nearest secondary schools were in other districts.
Despite the challenges, he saw them as opportunities to escape poverty.
"Fate is in God's hands. God gave each of us a brain, a set of eyes, hands, and legs. God also gave us the ability to think and shape our own destiny.
Finance Minister and SMJ Energy Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun presenting the smart card to one of the SMK Kanibongan recipients, while SMJE chief executive officer Dr Dionysia Kibat (second right) and MyKasih Foundation deputy deputy chairman Jeffrey Perera (right) look on.
"Do not be ashamed of being poor, but be ashamed only if you are not working hard to rise out of it," he said.
This collaboration between SMJE and the MyKasih Foundation in Pitas is the first of its kind.
Student affairs coordinator Ismail Alibah noted that students were selected based on need, with applications verified by MyKasih.
Of the 660 applicants, 632 were chosen. Those not selected typically came from families with higher incomes.
The smart cards can be used only at authorised outlets for essentials, with transactions monitored to ensure proper use.
The CSR initiative will run until the end of the year, with SMJE estimating expenditure of around RM1 million. Its effectiveness will be reviewed to decide on continuation or expansion to other districts.
Besides SMK Kanibongan, the participating schools include SMK Bongkol, SMK Telaga, and four primary schools: SK Dallas, SK Kanibongan, SK Sosop, and SK Datong.
Kibat, SMJE's CEO, emphasised the importance of investing in people, especially children, as the true wealth of Sabah. "We look forward to working with like-minded organisations and individuals to expand this programme further," she said.

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