Six students receive GrabScholar scholarships

PETALING JAYA: Six Malaysian students have been awarded GrabScholar 2026 scholarships, providing financial support and leadership development opportunities to pursue their undergraduate studies.

The programme, supported by Grab Malaysia’s GrabForGood Fund in collaboration with Yayasan Tunku Abdul Rahman (YTAR), aims to make higher education more accessible to students from diverse backgrounds.

Now in its third consecutive year, the initiative covers full tuition fees, allowances and a two-year leadership development programme, particularly supporting students pursuing sustainability, business and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Grab Malaysia executive director Rashid Shukor said the initiative reflected the company’s commitment to supporting the aspirations of its driver and delivery partners and their families.

“Every day, we see how hard our partners work to support their loved ones and give them a better life, and this is our motivation to support promising young scholars in their families with scholarships,” he said at the GrabScholar 2026 award ceremony on Thursday.

He said the GrabForGood Fund was central to the company’s efforts to promote economic empowerment and create opportunities for Malaysians regardless of their backgrounds.

Meanwhile, YTAR chief executive officer Kularetnam Vijayakumar said the collaboration had supported 18 Malaysian GrabScholars over the past three years.

“Our programme does not only provide comprehensive financial support, but empowers students of different backgrounds through capacity leadership development, giving them the opportunity to shape better futures for themselves, their communities and Malaysia,” he said.

Among this year’s recipients is Nur Athirah Rosli, 26, a psychology student at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), who hopes to contribute to research on autism among adults.

Athirah, who has autism and a non-verbal sister, said the scholarship encouraged her to pursue her academic aspirations.

“Seeing a scholarship that welcomes applicants from different backgrounds encouraged me to take that step and apply to it,” she said.

Another recipient, Muhamad Juray Nifael Mohamad Jais, 26, is a part-time Grab delivery partner pursuing a law degree at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

Having worked to support his family following his father’s death, Juray said the financial assistance would allow him to concentrate on his studies.

“Now, with the additional financial support, I can focus more on my studies. It really helps me manage my time better,” he said.

Apart from undergraduate scholarships, GrabScholar also works with GoBarakah to provide RM220 in one-off financial assistance to 300 primary and secondary school students annually to help cover school essentials.