Sarawak May Set Up Fund To Send Youths For International Conferences

KUCHING, The Sarawak Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurs Development is considering setting aside a certain amount of funds to help send youth to international conferences that can help boost their leadership qualities. Its minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah admitted that financial constraints were one of the reasons hindering youth from participating in high-quality conferences, which normally imposed exorbitant fees. 'Definitely, there is a fee (to attend international conferences) and, if they are just university students, they may face a little bit of problem (paying the fees). This is where I feel my ministry should be able to assist,' he told reporters on the sidelines of the International Conference on Tropical Sciences (TropSc) 2024 here today. He said although there is no specific scheme yet under his ministry to channel such assistance, he would discuss with his senior officials on the possibility of setting aside part of the RM10 million research fund for that purpose. 'We c an put aside maybe a million (ringgit) or two just for that purpose, to start with,' he said, adding that there is no necessity to wait for a new budget to be tabled at the State Assembly first. Source: BERNAMA News Agency