SIDS committee members with Jabu (centre) after the presentation of MRP grants.

KUCHING: Dayak Cultural Foundation will be providing educational assistance to Dayak students who achieved excellent results in this year’s SPM and STPM examinations.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu said two students each from the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu communities would be selected to receive assistance from the foundation to allow them to pursue tertiary education.

“This assistance is strictly for students who have scored 10As in their SPM or Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.0 in their STPM,” Jabu said after presenting Minor Rural Project (MRP) grant at his office here yesterday.

The criteria of each student, he said, would be verified by a special committee from Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak (SIDS) led by the chairman Dato Sri Empiang Jabu who is also a DCF board of trustee member.

“The assistance is part of our state’s human resource development to encourage students to study hard and obtain good results,” he added.

On another note, Jabu said SIDS would be providing excellence awards to members’ children who passed with flying colours in their UPSR, PMR, SPM and STPM examinations. The amount of monetary award would depend on the number of ‘As’ these students have obtained.

“In Miri, we expect to give a total of RM20,000 to high performing students, RM11,000 for students in Sibu and RM16,000 for students in Betong,” he added.

Students in Sri Aman, he added, would also be receiving similar awards but did not disclose any figures.

At yesterday’s function Jabu distributed MRP grants of RM7,000 each to SIDS branches in Mentu, Bajong, Kuching, Siol Kandis, Lundu, Samarahan, Lubok Antu and Kanowit.

“All 24 SIDS branches throughout the state will receive their MRPs in due time to fund their myriad of activities such as weaving and cooking workshops.

Touching on the weaving programme, Jabu called upon SIDS members to be more innovative and creative with their designs and come up with products which were appealing and practical.

Among the new creative ideas was to produce the traditional Dayak baby carrier with a compartment to keep a child’s milk bottle.

Jabu, who is also Minister of Rural Development and Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, lauded SIDS for slamming the organisers of the Miss Global International Sarawak for their insensitivity towards the traditions and culture of the Dayak communities by dressing up one of the contestants in a ‘cawat’ (loin cloth).

Empiang, SIDS vice-chairman Datin Catherine Gramong and other exco members were also present at the function yesterday.