SHAH ALAM, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA March 8, 2026 – The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has expressed strong appreciation for the collaborative efforts of the Sabah State Government and the Ministry of Transport in implementing initiatives aimed at easing the cost of living for higher education students from Sabah.
In a media statement released today, KPDN Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali highlighted the success of programs such as the Graduan Rindu Sabah (GRS)/SUBFLY, SENTOSA, and FLYsiswa, which provide flight subsidies to help students return home during festive seasons.
The statement was issued following an iftar (breaking fast) event attended by over 1,200 Sabah students studying at 31 institutions of higher learning (IPT) in Peninsular Malaysia. Organized annually by Yayasan Sabah, the gathering served as a platform for direct interaction between state leadership and students. Minister Armizan represented Sabah Chief Minister YAB Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor at the event, emphasizing its role in fostering two-way communication on education agendas and gathering student feedback.
“Such platforms are crucial for identifying the effectiveness of government service delivery and shaping policies that meet the people’s needs,” the statement noted.
The GRS/SUBFLY program, introduced by the Sabah State Government in 2024, offers a RM600 flight ticket subsidy to Sabah students pursuing studies in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan. In 2025, it benefited 19,505 students, with total expenditure amounting to RM11.7 million.
Complementing this, the SENTOSA initiative—launched last year—provides a one-off RM300 transportation subsidy for students at IPTs within Sabah to ease their travel costs during holidays. In 2025, 22,649 students received this aid, totaling RM6.79 million in allocations.
On the federal front, the Ministry of Transport’s FLYsiswa program, rolled out in 2023, targets students from public universities, polytechnics, community colleges under the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), as well as matriculation colleges and teacher training institutes under the Ministry of Education (MOE). It covers domestic flights between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan.
For 2025, the digital voucher amount under FLYsiswa was increased from RM300 to RM400. A total of 25,289 Sabah students benefited, including 18,335 studying in Peninsular Malaysia, 3,751 in Sarawak, and 3,203 in Labuan.
KPDN described these initiatives as exemplary of a “whole-of-government” approach to addressing cost-of-living challenges. “The Ministry highly values the high commitment shown by the Sabah State Government and the Ministry of Transport through GRS-SUBFLY, SENTOSA, and FLYsiswa,” Minister Armizan stated. “These efforts are part of various forms of assistance implemented by the government to alleviate the people’s living burdens.”
The programs stem from direct feedback from students during similar interactive sessions, underscoring the importance of grassroots engagement in policy development.
As Malaysia continues to navigate economic pressures, such subsidies are seen as vital support for young Malaysians pursuing higher education away from home, particularly during peak travel periods like festive seasons.
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