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15 January 2016
Don’t tell students to ‘go eat cake’, Kit Siang tells Idris http://twib.in/l/AK4GbKqgqLq | https://twibble.io
DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang lambasted Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh for his “callous” statement that belittles student sufferings and solve their problems,instead of trying to control media reports on the issue.
“Idris Jusoh should stop being elitist, patronising or even ‘Marie Antoinettish’, as he should stop arguing whether there are hungry university students but get down to resolve the problem of students cutting down on meals because of economic exigencies,” Lim said in a statement.
Lim conceded that while Idris’ statement two days ago was not on the level of the infamous Marie Antoinette statement of “Let them eat cake!” – when the French queen learned that the peasants had no bread – it was close enough.
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Don’t browbeat media
“This is most shocking for the problem of students cutting down on meals or even going hungry because of the economic strains on the students and their families, is not synthetic problem but a very real issue, as I had met university students in such straits in the past few weeks,” sniped Lim.
He berated Idris for only thinking of browbeating the media by ordering them not to highlight such issues, joining other BN ministers which he noted had dismissed the existence of the problem of hungry university students.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/327015
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Malaysiakini
Students: We’re forced to work so that we can eat
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The recent hike in the cost of living has seen some students resorting to taking on part-time jobs to make ends meet.
However, the students said, this has nothing to do with the recent suggestion by Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Ahmad Maslan that Malaysians to take on two jobs amidst economic challenges.
Their idiot-proof answer is that it is because they cannot cope with living costs that continue to climb yearly.
The students complained that even the loan from the Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) that some receive every semester is no longer enough for them to subsist on.
Malaysiakini‘s survey around the Bukit Bintang area found many students, from both private and public institutions of higher learning, saying that they are feeling the burden from the recent rise in the cost of living.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326975
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NGOs set up initiative to feed hungry university students
A group of NGOs have come together to help feed less fortunate university students who are in need of food assistance.
Dubbed Gabungan Kami Sayang Mahasiswa (Kasih), the group said it plans to give out regular food assistance to students at several public universities in the Klang Valley.
“We are only a support group to help relieve some of the burdens faced by students.
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Mariam added that the coalition will provide some financial assistance to needy students through their respective public universities’ welfare secretariat and this will be distributed in the form of coupons.
She said the initiative by a coalition of 17 NGOs will commence next month.
Among the targeted universities are the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Selangor (Unisel).
Mariam said the coalition will receive funding from the Selangor government.
She added that Parti Amanah Negara had today also contributed RM10,000 to their cause.
She said public contributions were also welcomed and they could be channelled into Bank Islam’s account number 14032010094329 which belongs to Pertubuhan Kebajikan Ehsan Ummah.
Mariam also asserted that students should be given assistance by the government and not have to work part-time just to make ends meet.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326919
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13 January 2016
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PKR: Oxford-grad minister can’t relate to hungry students
PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin said a minister graduating from an elite institution such as Oxford University would not be able to relate to the pain of local university students.
She said this in reference to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin who downplayed reports that students were going hungry in public universities, calling them “sensational”.
“Being an Oxford graduate, he probably cannot relate to the sufferings of the local university students.
“Poor university students who have only RM5 per day for meals are a reality and it is up to the government to ensure that these students are provided with proper meals daily,” she said in a statement today.
Zuraida, who is also Ampang MP, said poverty among students has always been a problem and has worsened due to the rising cost of living such as the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
“We cannot allow our students to live on bread and cup noodles only as they do not provide enough nutrients for the body,” she added.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326640
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Students: Don’t decide if we’re hungry or not from your air-con rooms
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Student leaders have fired back at the government and public university administrators for downplaying reports that undergraduates were going hungry in local universities.
Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam Universiti Malaya (PMIUM) president Muhmmad Wafiuddin Rosli said public university administrators were merely making their own assumptions from the comfort of their offices.
He said this in response to the secretariat of deputy vice-chancellors (student affairs and alumni) of public universities chairperson, Adnan Hussein, who denied students were not getting enough food on campuses.
“As university administrators, they have the authority to go down to the ground, research and find the students who are in need of food.
“Don’t comfortably declare the students aren’t hungry from inside air- conditioned rooms while wearing a tie,” he said in a statement today.
Wafiuddin added that while there were university mechanisms to aid students in need, they were often bureaucratic in nature, making help difficult to come by.
He said a large part of the students’ National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) money went towards tuition fees and lodging costs, leaving little for food.
“Therefore, some students choose to do part-time jobs instead of focusing on their university education.
“There are also students who try to cut their budget by relying on instant noodles instead of rice as a staple,” he said.
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He added that some students also have had to turn to soup kitchens for food.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326669
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12 January 2016
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Higher Education Ministry’s secretariat for deputy vice-chancellors in charge of student affairs says SOMEONE IS LYING OR EXAGGERATING. There are no starving students.
Malay Mail Online
…the Higher Education Ministry’s secretariat for deputy vice-chancellors in charge of student affairs has denied that public university students were affected by starvation.
Its chairman, Prof Datuk Adnan Hussein, denied media reports claiming that students in higher learning institutes could not afford to have proper meals.
“We have not heard any cases of starvation among students,” he said in a press statement yesterday.
Adnan said every campus in a public university had its own department to take care of the welfare of students.
“Each public university has its own mechanism to address and resolve financial issues faced by students,” he said.
“I am shocked by the reports and I can assure you that no such starvation cases occur in our public universities.”
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Malay Mail Online
USM starts free food project for 100 needy students
GEORGE TOWN, Jan 12 — The Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) students’ affairs unit has taken the initiative to distribute food to some 100 needy students since Sunday night.
Vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Omar Osman said the food would be distributed by student volunteers to the poor students in hostels every night.
“USM has always cared about the welfare of students in need of food aid. However, we have not received complaints from students that they cannot afford to eat on the campus,” he said.
Among the initiatives taken to help poor students is the distribution of 50 packets of food each day, and 2,000 packets of “bubur lambuk” after Friday prayers each week.
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Malaysiakini
Ex-student leader: Khairy doesn’t know what it’s like to starve
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin doesn’t understand what it’s like to be a starving student because he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, says former student leader Fahmi Zainol.
“Khairy doesn’t know anything. Since he was born, he has been with the blue blood. He even married the daughter of Pak Lah (former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi).
“He never had to borrow money when he was studying,” Fahmi, who is PKR Youth’s student bureau chief, said in a statement yesterday.
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While Fahmi agreed that not all students were starving, many were suffering from hunger and needed help.
As such, he said, Khairy as a minister should sympathise with them, instead of trying to dismiss the issue.
Fahmi challenged Khairy: “If you dare, become a Malaysian university student in 2016. Get a National Education Fund (PTPTN) loan and don’t get monetary help from your family or cronies.”
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326389
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11 January 2016
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Malaysia
Don’t sensationalise starving students, says Umno Youth chief
News of university students going without food should not be sensationalised, said Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
He added that the authenticity of such reports should be investigated.
“I’m not saying that all varsity students are doing well, but I doubt that there are starving students. […] Yes there are some facing hardship but not that bad.
“Even the homeless in Kuala Lumpur are given free food by Umno Youth. This (starving students) is hard to comprehend. I hope this story is not sensationalised, and is verified,” he said at an Umno Youth press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326347
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The Higher Education Minister, Idris Jusoh, had promised, “No student will go hungry on my watch”.
Then he took to his Facebook page over the weekend to suggest that students consider part-time work, whether on- or off-campus, to earn extra pocket money to cover their food bill, following news reports of undergraduates too cash-strapped to afford decent meals.
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Cut varsity fees instead of telling us to work, M’sian students tell minister http://bit.ly/1SdjLkq
KUALA LUMPUR — Suggesting students take up part-time jobs to cope with rising living costs is merely a short-term solution and does not address the core problem of costly higher education in Malaysia, student groups said.
Kesatuan Mahasiswa Malaysia (Kesatuan) said the Higher Education Ministry must stop avoiding the issue of expensive tertiary education by offering piecemeal solutions and take a more pragmatic approach instead, either by drastically cutting tuition fees or making it free altogether for impoverished students.
“In short, KPT should present an all-inclusive solution like giving an 80 to 100 per cent discount on tuition fees for students coming from poor backgrounds,” Mr Azzan Aznan Abdul Rahim, president of the coalition of 20 public university student groups, told Malay Mail Online in a text message yesterday (Jan 10), using the Malay abbreviation for the Higher Education Ministry.
Former University Malaya student council president Fahmi Zainol voiced similar views, claiming the current allocations were insufficient to last students an entire semester.
“One semester’s fees is almost RM2,000 (S$655). Let’s say the PTPTN loan for a semester is RM2,500. After paying your fees, that leaves you with RM500 for meals for six months. It’s not logical,” Mr Fahmi who has since graduated and become a social activist told Malay Mail Online in a text message.
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Mr Azzan conceded that part-time jobs were feasible, but was quick to emphasis that not all students were able to take it up due to a number of hurdles ranging from rigid class schedules to lack of transportation.
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Gabungan Mahasiswa Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia representative Usamah Kamarudin said on-campus jobs were limited while off-campus jobs could raise a student’s expenditure rather than offset it.
“Not all students have their own cars to go to their workplace for a part-time job. There is no such thing as public transportation that is cheap to be used by students that will take you directly to your workplace.
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He suggested the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) increase its allocation to RM4,000 a semester for students from impoverished backgrounds to cope with rising living costs.
“We’ve got to solve the root problem first. The government should not point the finger at students, instead the government should provide a long-term solution for this issue,” he added. MALAY MAIL ONLINE
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10 January 2016
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A survey on 25,632 undergraduates from public universities by NGO Muslim Volunteers Malaysia showed that three out of four students said they have been in situations where they were too broke to eat.
The students also say that they mostly survive on RM5 a day for meals, eating instant noodles or rice with fried egg and gravy.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326197
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How wonderful if he could keep his word…
Minister: No student will go hungry on my watch
Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh has pledged to take personal responsibility of any public university students who were recently reported to have been starving due to their financial difficulties.
Idris had at the same time issued a directive to the universities’ administration office – including the deputy vice-chancellor as well as the Student Affairs and Alumni’s offices – to identify the students involved and report the matter immediately to him and the Higher Education Ministry (KPT).
“My personal commitment is to ensure that no students will ever go hungry in future.
“The KPT has also issued a directive requesting students who have nothing to eat, to report to the ministry and the university authorities and God willing, we will take care of their needs,” he said.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326210
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Malaysiakini
‘Students starving as they send PTPTN money home’
Undergraduates at public varsities are in financial strife because they use their student loans to help their families at home, student group Kesatuan Mahasiswa Malaysia (Kesatuan) said.
“Most of these students are from struggling families, so besides studying they also assist their families financially by sending home half or more of their student loan disbursement,” Kesatuan chairperson Azzan Aznan Abdul Rahim said.
“This means there is very little left for them to survive on in the next four or five months,” he said in a statement.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/326197
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7 January 2016
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In the anonymous note addressed to a mosque committee, the student apologised for “borrowing” several ringgit from the mosque collection box to buy food, after several days of going without a solid meal.
The student promised to return the money when he/she could, and asked that the mosque committee pray that he/she would succeed in his/her studies.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/325812
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Three out of four varsity students too broke to eat
#Infographics Life is getting pretty hard for varsity students, do you think so? http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/325812 #2broke2eat
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Three out of four students in public universities in the country have admitted to being in situations where they were so broke they could not afford to eat, a survey by an NGO shows.
The survey on 25,632 students from six public universities by Muslim Volunteer Malaysia Association (MVM) found 57 percent of them saying that they allocate RM5 a day for food, 44 percent survive on instant noodles while 41 percent eat only rice with fried egg and sauce.
The study also found that 96 percent of those surveyed said they are under economic strain while 97 percent said they could use financial assistance from MVM.
The survey was conducted on students of Universiti Tekonologi Mara, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/325812
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The findings come after a picture of a note from a student at a mosque went viral on the social media.
In the anonymous note addressed to a mosque committee, the student apologised for “borrowing” several ringgit from the mosque collection box to buy food, after several days of going without a solid meal.
The student promised to return the money when he/she could, and asked that the mosque committee pray that he/she would succeed in his/her studies.
weehingthong 