The Labuan Matriculation College (KML) management has categorically denied that about 150 of its students are facing difficulty of having daily meals due to the suspension of the student allowance since August this year.

Its principal Sawang @ Rizal Amit said the students, who are from the low-and moderate-income households, were receiving daily meal assistance from the management for breakfast up to dinner.

“The suspension of the allowance by the Education Ministry is only temporary and we have our appeal to the ministry to expedite the disbursement,” he told the media today.

KML is currently accommodating some 2,500 students from various states in the country, and each of them were to receive a total of RM250 monthly throughout a 10-month study or two semesters.

“However, students for the 2016/17 session intake only received the allowance for the month of June and July, and they have not received the allowance since then,” he said.

Sawang also refuted a claim that a 'gotong-royong' or communal work would be held tomorrow to help cook the meals for the hungry students.

A WhatsApp message went viral last week that about 150 of the college’s students were starving with some of them found to be sharing a pack of 'Maggi', and urging members of the public to be together with the college’s lecturers to bring raw food, including rice and cooking oil to cook for the students.

“There is no such gotong-royong on Sunday as being viraled in the social network WhatsApp. KML management with the assistance of our cafeteria will provide the daily meal to the students in need... and about 100 students were chosen to receive the assistance,” he said.

Sawang however said the KML management was also welcoming any financial assistance from corporate bodies to help ease the financial burden of the students.

- Bernama