Give cash aid to varsity students affected by cancellation, ministry urged
The Higher Education Ministry has been urged to prepare financial aid to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds amid the last-minute decision to postpone physical registration for classes at public universities.
Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (above) called on the ministry to provide cash aid to help lower-income families cope with the losses incurred after some students had already made the journey and arrived on campus before the sudden cancellation...
The Higher Education Ministry has been urged to prepare financial aid to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds amid the last-minute decision to postpone physical registration for classes at public universities.
Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (above) called on the ministry to provide cash aid to help lower-income families cope with the losses incurred after some students had already made the journey and arrived on campus before the sudden cancellation.
“In order to lessen the burden for families with low incomes, I suggest the ministry prepare financial aid to those who are affected, whether in terms of rebates for the travel cost or additional payments to the existing Bantuan Prihatin.
“Tuition fees rebates for the year 2020 and 2021 should also be considered,” Nik Nazmi said in a statement today.
He also called upon the ministry to prepare transportation such as buses for students who need to travel back home as well as to bring them to the university campuses later when they are allowed to return.
“The rakyat should not have to take on additional burdens when so many are living on tight budgets now,” he added.
Nik Nazmi also urged the ministry to come up with a long-term plan to ensure tertiary education can withstand the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In addition to the existing standard operating procedures (SOP) and guidelines, I call upon the Higher Education Ministry to prepare a plan or long-term frame to guarantee that this sector can sustain through the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This frame can be used as the foundation for future SOP and as a guide for every higher education institution to prepare their own plans in line with the pedagogue needs of every different field of study,” he said.
The plan must also take into account unexpected situations, such as the possibility of Covid-19 cases spiking in the future as well as other pandemic-related risks, he added.
This came after the Higher Education Ministry announced at the 11th hour it was recommending public universities to postpone any physical registration for both old and new students amid a resurgence of Covid-19 outbreaks.
While the ministry said students who already arrived and are engaging in academic activities may remain on their respective campuses, not all arriving students live on campus and now have to make the journey home.
This announcement had drawn the ire of students and parents, who complained that they had spent a lot of money preparing for the new academic year and that this is not the first last-minute U-turn statement from the ministry.
Nik Nazmi said while he understands that the ministry’s decision was made to ensure the safety and health of the public, such situations will occur again whenever an unexpected incident happens without a long-term plan.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has been with us for more than half a year now and there still isn’t a solution any time soon.
“It is time for the ministry to come up with a comprehensive plan as a guideline to handle this crisis for the higher education sector,” he said.
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