Focus turns to safety of university hostels after UUM student's death
The safety at university hostels has become a focal point after the death of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) student S Vinosiny who was suspected to have suffered an electric shock in her room. Political parties from both sides of the divide are now demanding a speedy investigation into her death. They also want the Higher Education Ministry to conduct a thorough inspection of all hostels and...
The safety at university hostels has become a focal point after the death of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) student S Vinosiny who was suspected to have suffered an electric shock in her room.
Political parties from both sides of the divide are now demanding a speedy investigation into her death.
They also want the Higher Education Ministry to conduct a thorough inspection of all hostels and facilities to ensure that a similar tragedy does not happen again.
In a statement today, DAP Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii (above) said such a tragic accident was not an isolated case.
"It could have been avoided. This raises a serious question about the safety of the student community, not just on this particular campus but on all campuses around the country, especially when it comes to sub-standard safety maintenance of all university facilities,” he said, referring to the incident at Universiti Malaya where a fire broke out.
The Bandar Kuching MP also highlighted the frequent water supply disruptions faced by the students at University Kebangsaan Malaysia and a fire incident at a UUM hostel last year, where the cause was suspected to be old electrical cables which were damaged but not repaired.
"In April 2022, a 22-year-old Universiti Sains Malaysia student died after falling and was suspected of climbing an old, unmaintained balcony while trying to take his clothes off the hanger," Yii said.
"All these points to a bigger issue on safety and maintenance in hostels and university facilities which have been neglected for so long.
“Based on the feedback from students, it is not a secret on how poorly many of such facilities are maintained and many are just timebombs and accidents waiting to happen.”
Yii called for an independent audit and immediate inspection of all hostels and university facilities across the country to identify those in urgent need of repairs.
"A single death due to such avoidable circumstances is a death too many, and much more must be done to protect the welfare and safety of our students who are the future of our country.
"We urge UUM and all relevant authorities to expedite the necessary investigation into the sudden death of Vinosiny. A clear timeline must be given for the investigation to be done in the spirit of transparency and a clear comprehensive plan must be done by the ministry," he said.
Carry out transparent investigation
Similarly, MIC Putera and Puteri, in a joint statement, also demanded the ministry inspect the student hostels and facilities following the death of the 21-year-old accounting student.
"We are requesting that all the relevant authorities carry out a detailed and transparent investigation on this matter so as to provide clarity to the family and the general public.
"We also urge the ministry to conduct a thorough inspection to be done on all student hostels and facilities. On May 12, reports were also made on a ceiling fan which eventually caught fire at a public university hostel. A thorough inspection must be done, the safety of our students cannot be compromised," they said.
PKR's Bakar Arang assemblyperson Simon Ooi urged the police to immediately release the report of the full investigation so that the cause of the accident and those responsible can be identified.
"At the same time, Vinosiny's father also regretted that UUM management declined to provide a clear explanation to the family. I ask the police and the UUM management to handle the issue in a transparent and open manner.
"If the accident was indeed caused by electric shock, the university and the ministry must be fully held responsible for the tragedy.
"Vinosiny's death last Saturday is clearly a serious warning that the maintenance of campus facilities must be expedited to ensure that such tragedy does not happen again," he said.
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