UiTM must remain accessible to underprivileged Bumiputera students - Sultan Sharafuddin

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the Sultan of Selangor, urged the University of Technology Mara (UiTM) to remain an accessible gateway to social mobility for Malay and Bumiputera youths from low-income families and rural areas. He emphasized that as UiTM expands and advances, the original target group should not be left behind or excluded from higher education opportunities.

The Sultan spoke at UiTM's 2026 Royal Address, held at Dewan Konsert Seri Budiman, where he stressed the institution's founding spirit should never be lost.

His Royal Highness noted that when UiTM began in 1965 with only about 219 students and 11 lecturers, the goal was to provide a path previously difficult for many to access. Within a decade, student enrollment surged to nearly 7,000, and teaching staff increased to around 1,000, with the university offering approximately 60 academic programs and establishing branch campuses in various states.

Today, UiTM is one of the largest higher learning institutions in the country, producing over 40,000 graduates annually and boasting a network of more than one million alumni.

To strengthen its future, Sultan Sharafuddin proposed a system for alumni to contribute a monthly or annual amount of at least RM10 to UiTM, recognizing that this small sacrifice can ensure the institution's continued success and progress. The proposed fund could generate up to RM100 million each year, which would be used for UiTM's development and to support students facing financial difficulties.

The Sultan highlighted that the institution's true measure of success lies not in the number of students, graduates, or alumni but in the extent to which UiTM has transformed lives and contributed to national development.