Twenty-five candidates under the Empower East Coast Economic Region (ECER) Academic Training Programme who got good results in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2016 received the ECER Excellence Awards Sunday.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman said the awards were given to students under the programme who obtained at least 5As in the SPM examination.

"Some 630 poor students from all districts are chosen to follow the academic programme organised by ECER throughout the year to help them achieve excellent results.

"Seeing the success of the programme, the number of students who will participate in it will increase this year, in the hope they can succeed academically to bring their families out of poverty," he said after presenting the awards here, Sunday.

According to him, it will ensure that all students have the priority to continue their studies in various fields of interest at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) and Tati University College (TATiuc).

A recipient of the award, Nor Asyikin Zulkifli, 18, said the award was a motivation to continue to study harder to achieve excellent results in the future.

"Empower ECER Academic Training Programme has helped me to realise my dream of obtaining excellent results. Additional classes and various programmes helped me to master many of my weak subjects," she said.

Nor Asyikin who obtained 6A, 1B, 1C and 1D in SPM said her hard work and struggle finally got her the excellent results which she dedicated to her father, Zulkifli Mamat, 52, who lost his eyesight in an accident five years ago which plunged the family into poverty.

"Since then, I felt a responsibility to study hard and change my family's destiny.

"Our family is dependent on the assistance of the Social Welfare Department's RM300 a month to help us meet our daily needs in addition to school expenses.

"Thanks to my continued patience to be able to study in a state of deprivation, in addition to my parents prayers I finally managed to achieve 6As in the SPM, a good opportunity to continue my education in Business Studies at UniSZA," she said. - BERNAMA