Students from the MCA-owned Tunku Abdul Rahman College (Tarc) are crying foul over the alleged decision to terminate advanced diploma courses in the institution beginning next year.

According to student Lim Chin Yee, the decision, which is yet to be officially announced, is aimed at encouraging students to further their studies at MCA's newly established Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar).

He said this is unfair as the courses and tuition fees vary between the two institutions.

Citing an example, he said the first semester tuition fees for a student pursuing Public Relations in Tarc is RM1,500 while in Utar it will cost RM3,800.

Tarc receives a 50 percent subsidy from the government and is the most affordable private college in the country.

The decision to terminate the courses is said to have been made by the Tarc council last month, which is headed by former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik. He also helms the Utar council.

Students, who learnt about the decision from their lecturers, have also launched a signature campaign in campus and will submit this to the college administration this week.

The move is expected to affect some 6,000 students who annually enroll into the two-year advanced diploma course.

Financial burden

Lim said this will increase the financial burden of students and force those who cannot cough up the extra cash to drop out.

"This is against what Dr Ling always said that the college aimed to provide education opportunities to those from lower income families," said the final year Public Relations student.

He said the move will also affect students who want to obtain a professional certificate such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and Institute of Qualified Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA).

"They will lose this chance. They can only complete an accounting-related degree course in Utar and have to pursue the professional certificate in other colleges," he added.

Lim also noted that Utar does not offer all the courses that Tarc students are currently doing. The former is only offering eight degree programmes.

"For instance, we learnt that their proposed solution is to transfer broadcasting and media studies students into Utar's public relations studies and engineering students into information technology courses because the university does not offer those courses," he said.

He also warned that the sudden termination would tarnish the college's image and reputation among foreign education institutions.

"If the Tarc council believes that by terminating the courses, students will go to Utar, then it is wrong.

"Many students feel that instead of paying money to study in a university without a proper campus, they would prefer to pursue their education elsewhere," he said.

The Utar campus is being constructed in Kampar, Perak. Its students are temporarily located in Setapak and Petaling Jaya.

Following instructions

Contacted later, a college official said the administration is addressing the students' concern and is in the process of 'solving the problem'.

"The advanced diploma courses are likely to remain but we will inform the students once the final decision is made," added the official who requested anonymity.

He also claimed that the college was not involved in the decision made by the council.

"It's very hard for us to do anything because the college and its principal must abide to instruction (from the council)," he said.