SHAH ALAM: More than 20,000 Sabah students benefited from airfare ticket subsidies and transport assistance provided by the State and Federal Governments last year to ease the cost-of-living burden among those pursuing higher education away from home.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said such initiatives were implemented by both governments to help students cope with rising expenses, particularly travel costs during festive seasons.
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He said the State Government introduced the Graduan Rindu Sabah Flight Ticket Subsidy Assistance Programme (GRS-Subfly) in 2024 following requests from Sabahan students in the peninsula who highlighted the high airfare costs when returning home during festive periods.
Armizan said the annual programme provides a RM600 flight ticket subsidy to Sabah students studying in the peninsula, Sarawak and Labuan, with 19,505 students benefiting in 2025 at a total cost of RM11.7 million.
He said the Federal Government has also implemented a similar subsidy through the Transport Ministry’s Flysiswa initiative since 2023, with the digital voucher increased to RM400 in 2025 from RM300 previously and benefiting 25,289 Sabah students last year.
