By Mohd Khairy Abdullah @ DG Henry
KOTA KINABALU, (Sabah, Malaysia), Oct 2025 – Malaysia’s Minister of Entrepreneurship and Cooperatives Development, Ewon Benedick, on Thursday launched the ANGKASA Foundation Education Fund to expand access to higher education for children of cooperative members, positioning the cooperative sector as a core pillar of inclusive economic growth.
The fund is aimed at supporting students from low- and middle-income households, particularly in Sabah, to pursue tertiary studies and professional qualifications aligned with Malaysia’s cooperative economy and people-driven development agenda.
Ewon said that the ANGKASA Foundation has disbursed RM34.9 million in education financing to 1,898 students since the year 2000. Of that total, RM183,000 was allocated to 14 students from Sabah – a figure the minister said must grow as part of a broader strategy to strengthen Sabah’s participation in the national cooperative sector.
“This initiative is not just an education aid mechanism, but a strategic investment to build a new generation of professionals capable of leading cooperatives as competitive, community-owned economic institutions,” Ewon told reporters after officiating the launch at a hotel in Kota Kinabalu.
He also announced that the Malaysian Cooperative Commission (SKM) will double its contribution to the ANGKASA Foundation from RM500,000 to RM1 million this year, enabling more students from the B40 income group to benefit.
According to Ewon, the initiative aligns with the government’s long-term objective to enhance people-owned economic institutions through human capital development in key sectors such as cooperative banking, agriculture, digital services and halal exports.
In a significant policy move, the Sabah state government has allocated 35 state-funded scholarships specifically for students pursuing studies at the Malaysian Cooperative University (UKKM), making it the first state in the federation to implement such a programme.
Ewon said discussions are ongoing with the Sarawak government and other states in Peninsular Malaysia to consider similar allocations through their respective state foundations.
Malaysia’s cooperative movement currently represents more than seven million members and generates over RM60 billion in economic value. Officials say specialised talent development through education funding is critical to transforming cooperatives into a major component of the national economy, rather than a supplementary social mechanism.
“Education is not a cost; it is an economic asset. The students supported today will become the future leaders in food security, financial inclusion and digital economy sectors operating through the cooperative system,” Ewon said.
The launch is seen as part of Malaysia’s broader efforts to align cooperative development with global trends in social finance and shared economic ownership models, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
