ABANG YUSUF PUTEH’S EFFORT IN UPLIFTING THE EDUCATION OF THE MALAY COASTAL SOCIETY IN SARAWAK

Abstract

This article discusses Abang Yusuf Puteh’s efforts in uplifting the education of the Malay coastal society in Sarawak from the year 1970 to 1991. In 1963 during the formation of Malaysia, the awareness of the importance of education among the Malay coastal society was still low and their children’s education was neglected. Therefore, Abang Yusuf Puteh induced awareness on the importance of education among the Malay coastal society. Some of Abang Yusuf Puteh’s remarks on the Malay coastal society’s education is discussed in this article as an effort to identify educational backwardness of this society.  The outcome of some of these efforts can be seen in the increase in the number of Malay coastal students from the year 1970 to 1991. Abang Yusuf Puteh believed that education was capable of changing the fate of the society by accepting development. His efforts to instill awareness of the importance of education simultaneously brought transformation in the economy of the Malay society in the coastal areas of Sarawak.