KUCHING: Three students yesterday received their cheques from KTS Scholarship Foundation at Crown Towers, Jalan Pending here, bringing the number of beneficiaries to date to 43 since the establishment of the foundation in 2001.

Up to June 30, RM393,435.10 had been disbursed while a further sum of RM153,987.40 has been committed, said the foundation’s committee in a press statement yesterday.

The objectives of the foundation are: To promote the advancement of education in Sarawak; to enhance human resources in the country; to improve the well-being of the less fortunate; and to enhance environmental awareness.

“The scholarship is an outright grant and is not repayable. They are intended for bright and needy students who are studying for their degrees, diplomas, certificates, and those getting Chinese senior or junior secondary education. They should be from low-income families,” said the statement.

During yesterday’s cheque presentation ceremony, Wong Tsmei Chi received RM1,338 for her final semester.

She was granted a total scholarship amounting to RM5,388 for her six-semester degree course in Marine Science at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Her scholarship commenced from her third semester in 2006. Her father, Wong Tech Chai, is a subscriber of See Hua Daily News.

Joyce Janggu received a cheque for RM3,000 for her first semester in Bachelor of Engineering at Swinburne University of Technology.

Her scholarship amounts to RM24,000 for the eight-semester degree course.

She is the daughter of KTS staff, Janggu Endin.

Jaren Kueh Siang Hoong was granted a RM18,000 scholarship for his three-year degree course in Bachelor of Science (Hons) Actuarial Science at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur.

Jaren was one of the KTS scholarship recipients in 2006 for his diploma course in electronic engineering.

His father, Kueh Kai Hock, who represented Jaren to receive the RM2,000 cheque is a subscriber of See Hua Daily News.

Three categories of people are qualified to apply for the scholarship.

KTS staff who are below 40 years of age and had completed five years’ service with the KTS Group of Companies; children of KTS staff who had completed more than two years’ service with the KTS Group, and children of KTS Group’s newspaper subscribers who are Malaysians and had paid subscription fees continuously for a period of not less than two years immediately preceding the application for scholarships.

Every year in April and September, the committee members meet to consider the applications.

Application forms can be obtained from the scholarship secretariat on Floor 8, Crown Towers, 88 Jalan Pending.

For further information, members of the public can contact the secretariat on 082-345033 or all KTS branch offices throughout the state.

Also present at the ceremony were the foundation’s committee members, Wong Kee Choon, Alvin Lau, Cheng Hua Kieh, Desmond Cheng, Wong Sing Seng, Simon Lao and Doreen Eng from the secretariat.