Yayasan Sime Darby Annual Report 2025
Bridging Access
7,240 students
84 schools
2024
5,751 students
78 schools
2025
RM260,000 for 1,600 students in 4 schools
Emergency (Kelantan 2024)
Total support (2014–present)
RM7,278,473
22,389
students
415
schools (nationwide)
5,618 students
Bag Stationery Uniform Vouchers Essentials
Back-to-School pack
The REACH That Ensures Uninterrupted Education
The morning mist clings to Pulau Carey’s palm oil plantations as students make their 20-kilometer journey to SMK Pulau Carey. Meanwhile, in Pasir Mas, floodwaters have long receded from SK Meranti’s classrooms early this year, leaving behind water-stained walls and disrupted learning. Two schools, two distinct challenges, yet one shared goal: ensuring uninterrupted access to quality education. Through the YSD REACH School Programme and the YSD Disaster Relief Fund, our support is tailored to each school’s needs, while upholding every child’s right to learn.
At SMK Pulau Carey, Principal Puan Zainila Zainuddin leads 275 students and 23 teachers from diverse backgrounds—children of local plantation workers, indigenous Mahmeri youth from remote villages, and B40 families for whom every ringgit counts. During rainy season, attendance drops sharply and threatening continuity in education. threatening continuity in education.
“I don’t want the children of SMK Pulau Carey to be left behind,” she says with quiet determination. “Whether they stand tall or sit low, I want them to be equals with students anywhere in Malaysia.”
For 16-year-old Muhammad Azmir at SMK Pulau Carey, whose father works as a plantation security guard, RM150 worth of school supplies eased a significant burden from his family of seven. “I am deeply grateful to Yayasan Sime Darby and SD Guthrie,” he shared. “This enables students who lack financial means to attend school and pursue their education.”
Meanwhile 400 kilometers away, a different urgency awaited. When YSD CEO Dr. Hjh Yatela Zainal Abidin visited flood-stricken SK Meranti, she saw the toll of the 2024 floods; 1,600 students across four Kelantan schools, with families forced to choose between repairing homes or buying school supplies.
For example, in early 2024, YSD responded swiftly with nearly RM260,000 in education assistance to the four flood-affected schools, including supply kits, uniform vouchers, and school supplies to help children resume learning, in collaboration with the Kelantan State Department of Social Welfare (JKM), Kelantan State Education Department (JPN) and Sime Industrial employee volunteers.
This is where REACH—”Reach and Empower All Underprivileged Children”—makes its mark. The programme meets communities where they are, responding not just to chronic barriers but also to sudden crises, ensuring no child is left behind.
To date, YSD has committed over RM10.7 million committed through the YSD REACH School Programme and education-focused disaster relief initiatives, benefiting more than 113,000 students from more than 500 schools across the country. These efforts not only ease the burdens of families but also open doors for children to dream bigger, pursue knowledge with confidence, and build a brighter future for themselves and the nation.
A Decade of Bridging Access in STEM
“Help A Person, Change The World”
In the past decade, the SD Young innovators Challenge (SDYIC) has empowered young minds to develop innovative solutions that address pressing local community issues. Now, SDYIC content is featured on the Ministry of Education (MOE)’s DELIMa portal, providing teachers and students in secondary schools nationwide with access to hands-on, SDYIC-based learning resources. The annual national championship, co-organised by YSD and Chumbaka, in collaboration with MOE and partnering universities has engaged nearly 25,000 individuals to date.
The signature programme reflects YSD’s commitment to inclusivity, with 23% from rural areas and nearly 50% female participants. Female innovators have more than doubled annually, rising from 648 in 2020 to 1,597 in 2024. YSD is proud to continue to bridge access to quality education and empower girls in STEM. Their impact speaks for itself:
- SDYIC’s first all-girls winning team from Sekolah Agama Menengah Jeram, Selangor developed ‘Mykroscope’, a portable, low-cost microscope using mobile phones that was registered as Malaysia’s first ever open-sourced hardware for public use.
- In Sarawak, Daphne Douglas and her teammates created “The Beep,” a keychain device to ease school traffic. The SDYIC grant allowed the team to redesign and mass-produce “The Beep” for primary school distribution in 2021. “Girls don’t just follow trends, we create them!” she shared.
- Team Phoenix from SMK Convent Ipoh, Perak designed D’eye, a colour sensor to help visually impaired individuals identify banknotes—now adopted by the Malaysian Association for the Blind in Kinta Valley, delivering tangible impact to the community.
To mark SDYIC’s 10th anniversary, a special series of Satellite Events was held across four schools: SMK Tengku Lela Segara in Terengganu, SMJK Yok Bin in Melaka, SMK Pekan Kuala Penyu in Sabah and SMK Lutong in Sarawak, extending the STEM reach beyond Klang Valley into rural and semi-urban areas. The final satellite event in Sarawak, was officiated by YB Dr Annuar Rapaee, Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak. Across all locations, 3,772 participants, including students, teachers, alumni, and parents, took part in workshops on ideation, coding, and prototyping to develop community-focused solutions guided by industry experts, teachers and university mentors.
From gamified math learning to advanced fire alert systems and flood warning technologies, the SDYIC 2024 winning teams demonstrated the power of youth-led innovation supported by YSD innovation grants. In celebration of SDYIC’s 10th anniversary, a larger-scale national championship carnival will be held in November 2025, bringing together alumni, school teachers and partners, with the UKM-YSD Chair in Sustainability as co-host. Schools under our Sekolah Angkat MADANI YSD REACH will attend as invited guests to tour prototype showcases, join short demos, and visit partner-run STEM and education booths.
Teachers and mentors grow alongside students. Over 4,500 individuals have been trained through SDYIC’s Train the Trainer workshops, extending innovation coaching into classrooms, school clubs, and teacher networks like Pusat Kegiatan Guru. The next phase focuses on enhancing teacher capacity, with SDYIC modules now integrated into LADAP Plus— YSD-supported Malaysia’s first mobile app for teacher training—enabling scalable, accessible professional development.
10 years, RM7.35 million
innovation training and student/school grants
25
winning prototypes
23%
schools in rural areas
Female innovators have more than doubled annually
20,186
secondary school students
4,500
undergraduates trained as innovation coaches
YSD Scholarships Close the Rural-Urban Education Gap
In a Universiti Malaya classroom, Muhammad Ikmal Hakim once thought university was out of reach. “Coming from a family of seven in the B40 group, I honestly wasn’t sure if I could pursue tertiary studies without the scholarship,” he says. Leadership coaching and THRIVE sessions from YSD built his confidence and even inspired his cousins to believe university is possible for them, too.
Across the South China Sea in Sabah, Mohamad Helmi studies Computer Science while navigating learning and physical disabilities. When an online public speaking competition came up, he proved that “physical distance is no barrier to embracing lifelong learning.”
At Universiti Sains Malaysia, visually impaired scholar Ryenaath Ganesan organised a nationwide benchmarking trip on accessibility and student-support practices—handling transport, budget, and logistics—and shifted campus perceptions of what inclusive leadership looks like. “Education has given me the confidence to chase my dreams fearlessly,” he says.
YSD Skill Enrichment (TVET) Programme is opening direct pathways into stable jobs. Alexender Simong Anak Gawai, raised by his mother in Rumah Gawai Sungai Mupong, left school after Form Three. He completed the Harvesting Specialist Programme delivered by SD Guthrie, Institut Perladangan dan Komoditi Malaysia (IMPAC) and Sarawak Skills SAVTI. In September 2025, he started a permanent role as a Harvesting Specialist with SD Guthrie in Bintulu, turning training into stable employment close to home.
From Miri, Daniel Lai Chun Ming enrolled in the YSD Certificate of Heavy Equipment Programme at the Sime Industrial Academy. He now works as a technician with Sime Industrial Tractors Malaysia, earning above national TVET salary benchmarks and showing how targeted skills training can open well-paid, in-demand careers for youth without academic qualifications.
Another TVET scholar lost both parents within two years yet continued supporting six siblings while completing the YSD Skill Enrichment programme. He earned multiple certifications, including CIDB Level 2, was named Anugerah Pelajar Terbaik, and now serves as a BIM Modeller in Singapore on the Temasek Junior College project.
With the joint support through the Ministry of Finance (MOF) under Belanjawan 2025, YSD is expanding TVET initiatives to reach underserved communities in Sarawak, Sabah, Terengganu and Kedah, enabled by a RM2.54 million TVET matching grant. YSD aims to extend this support to more than 400 students by year end, widening access to skills training and employment pathways.
Scholars also pass it forward. Muhammad Azamuddin, a statistics student, brings maths to life for over 200 primary pupils in Penang and Selangor through his Twist KenKen Puzzle Challenge—giving younger students fresh ways to enjoy problem-solving and persistence.
This year, Kashmeetha Pillai received the YSD Chairman’s Award at the Scholarship Award Ceremony. A First-Class graduate and Sime Darby Property scholar, she leads in sustainability and service, mentors with Roots & Shoots and AIESEC, and has contributed more than 200 volunteer hours across turtle conservation, rainforest restoration, STEM education, and wildlife protection.
The ripple effect continues through the SD Young Innovators Challenge (SDYIC). Alumni like Ng Xin Ning and Ng Yee Cheng are returning as mentors, guiding younger innovators in empathy, communication, and teamwork. Teachers report lasting improvements in students’ confidence, ambition, and STEM mindsets. Many scholars now serve in Sime Darby Berhad, SD Guthrie, and Sime Darby Property—bringing inclusive, community-centred leadership into the workplace.
These stories show what a scholarship can become—more than financial support, it becomes a pathway to agency, inclusion, and service. YSD Scholars turn opportunity into outcomes, with each success inspiring someone else to dream bigger, try harder, and make a difference.
6,238
Students Awarded Scholarships Since 1982
221
Special Needs Bursary Scholarship Awarded Since 1982
18
Scholarship Programmes