TANAH MERAH: Nur Akmawatie Mohd Rafi, 18, from Kampung Sat Tengah here, received a second chance at a tertiary education after she had earlier declined an offer due to her family's financial problems.
She chose to give way to her twin brother, Mohd Akmal Rizal, 18, so that he could continue his studies at Politeknik Kota Baru.
Nur Akmawatie, who was offered a spot in the Universiti Teknologi Mara Diploma in Culinary programme at its Dungun campus, chose to decline the offer because she did not want to burden her family.
"My father has been jobless for five years due to a road accident and my mother depends on the assistance of RM750 each month from the Social Welfare Department for our family's survival.
"If my twin brother and I both further our studies at the same time, where will we get the money?
"This is why I made this decision to give way to my brother," she said when met at her family's rented home here.
The third child of six siblings said she has been working part-time at a restaurant with her twin brother, receiving wages of RM50 each day.
Nur Akmawatie said she wanted to ease her mother's financial burden, because in addition to spending on her sick father's medical needs, her two younger siblings were also still in school.
"Let me bear a little of this burden because I believe one day we will receive a blessing," she said.
The story of her sacrifice received attention from Kolej Poly-Tech Mara (KPTM) Kota Baru recently and its director, Raja Izuddin Raja Ahmad today presented a study offer letter to the teenager.
She was offered a place in the Diploma of Early Childhood Education programme with a study loan and her admission will be in November.
Raja Izuddin said the college came to know of Nur Akmawatie's story which had gone viral earlier and he was personally contacted by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki to offer help to Nur Akmawatie.
"We are present today to submit an offer letter for Nur Akmawatie to continue her studies at KPTM with a variable loan and she will also receive a subsistence allowance of RM700 per month.
"Nur Akmawatie has also been included in the list of KPTM student aid recipients," he said.