RHB Banking Group (RHB) through RHB Foundation, its community engagement arm has allocated up to RM4.2 million in scholarships to 60 students from underprivileged (B40) families through the RHB X-Cel Star Scholarship Programme.
Speaking at the RHB X-Cel Star Scholarship Programme virtual award ceremony held today, Dato’ Khairussaleh Ramli, Chairman of RHB Foundation and Group Managing Director of RHB Banking Group said, “RHB Foundation has allocated RM4.2 million towards awarding RHB X-Cel Star Scholarships to 60 deserving RHB X-Cel Academic Excellence programme students over five years until 2023, which would cover educational expenses throughout the duration of their Undergraduate studies. Our scholarship programme is designed to develop these top performing students from B40 family backgrounds into well-rounded individuals and future leaders. The programme includes putting the students through structured and holistic capacity building sessions such as presentation and communication skills, English courses, leadership training and mentor-mentee arrangements.”
The RHB X-Cel Star Scholarship programme is an extension of the wider RHB X-Cel Academic Excellence Programme, providing scholarship recipients financial assistance and structured support throughout their tertiary studies in local institutions of higher learning.
The first cohort of 10 students who received the RHB X-Cel Star Scholarship in 2019 have completed their Foundation or Matriculation studies this year with Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) scores of more than 3.0, of which eight (8) of them have obtained a CGPA of 3.5 and above, whilst 1 had obtained a CGPA of 4 flat.
The virtual award ceremony held this afternoon also celebrated the admission of 11 new students, forming the second cohort of RHB X-Cel Star Scholarship holders.
The underlying RHB X-Cel Academic Excellence programme provides a structured and holistic educational programme that supports academic excellence in the progression of Form 4 and 5 students from B40 family backgrounds to tertiary education and ultimately offering them career opportunities within the RHB banking Group upon graduation. This education programme is a reflection of RHB’s commitment to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education. Approximately 1,000 students from 27 schools throughout Malaysia are currently participating in the programme. It has benefited a total of more than 1,700 students nationwide since its launch in 2018.
“The objective of our programme is to empower these students with education as a tool for upward social mobility, which would ultimately help them to achieve financial independence and overcome various life challenges. Last year, 826 students enrolled in this programme and out of these, all 441 of our Form 5 students had passed their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (“SPM”) examinations with 60 of these students scoring 7As and above representing an increase of 67% from the previous year,” added Dato’ Khairussaleh.
The RHB X-Cel Academic Excellence Programme benefits approximately 1,000 students from schools throughout Malaysia every year and offers support to Form 4 and Form 5 students, which includes additional tuition classes in the core subjects of Bahasa Melayu, English and Mathematics, as well as in the elective subjects of Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Science or Principles of Accounting. The programme also includes other activities such as seminars and workshops in preparing students for their SPM examinations.
Issued on behalf of RHB Bank Berhad by Group Corporate Communications Division. For more information, please contact Norazzah Sulaiman at 012-644 8321 / norazzah@rhbgroup.com or Cairil Irwan at 012-333 5007 / cairil@rhbgroup.com
About the RHB Banking Group
The RHB Banking Group, with RHB Bank Berhad as the holding company, is the fourth largest fully integrated financial services group in Malaysia. The Group’s core businesses are structured into seven main business pillars, namely Group Retail Banking, Group Business & Transaction Banking, Group Wholesale Banking, RHB Singapore, Group Shariah Business, Group International Business and Group Insurance. Group Wholesale Banking comprises Corporate Banking, Investment Banking and Group Treasury & Global Markets. All the seven business pillars are offered through the Group’s main subsidiaries – RHB Investment Bank Berhad, RHB Islamic Bank Berhad and RHB Insurance Berhad, while its asset management and unit trust businesses are undertaken by RHB Asset Management Sdn. Bhd. and RHB Islamic International Asset Management Berhad. The Group’s regional presence now spans nine countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Myanmar.
About RHB Foundation
RHB Foundation was established in December 2015 to drive the RHB Banking Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility/Community Engagement initiatives, focusing on underserved and underprivileged members of the community with emphasis on children and youth. Its initiatives are anchored against three pillars: Nurturing Future Generations, Health & Wellness and Community Well-Being.
For more information, please visit www.rhbgroup.com
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