KUALA LUMPUR – Thousands of Universiti Malaya (UM) students have been scrambling for affordable options before the semester begins in October after failing to secure campus accommodation.
This is especially challenging for students who are from the lower income groups with many slamming university management for allowing housing problems to drag on for years while “ignoring” student welfare.
Muhammad Hadif, who is in his third year, said he is unhappy at being “forced” to find accommodation off-campus as this would add to the costs he has to bear.
Seeing that rental rates near campus are prohibitive, he had to rent a place further away while grappling with transportation woes.
I have to find somewhere cheaper than Lembah Pantai. I can barely afford the RM250 room rental, not taking into account money I have to spend on utilities, food, and transportation.
“When staying on campus, I could just walk to class, which is about 10 minutes away. Right now, I’ll be entirely dependent on public transport, which takes about an hour to get to campus.”
To find alternative income, he took up a part-time job working at a school canteen in Hulu Selangor during the current semester break.
“I also run a business where I offer services to design and print T-shirts.”
However, he is concerned about juggling studies and work once the semester starts.
For Nurashyikin Jaafar, 22, she said she will try to volunteer for university programmes that offer on-campus housing for successful applicants.
“Calon Pemudahcara Mahasiswa is a programme for students to help in orientation week for juniors who will be staying on campus. In early October, they will organise several events during ‘welcome week’.
Any student can apply to volunteer but will be interviewed by senior students first.”
However, she had yet to learn if her application was successful, leaving her in limbo – whether she could secure on-campus housing or have to rent somewhere off-campus.
She added that living in Kuala Lumpur is expensive, especially in terms of rental and transportation.
Another student, Muhammad Ammar Afzan, a second-year Malay studies student, is unhappy that he did not get a spot in a residential college despite being active in extracurricular activities.
I was left with no choice but to stay off-campus as the chance for us to appeal for a spot in a residential college is slim.
“I will have to bear extra transportation and utility costs.”
To help pay his way, he is a part-time insurance agent.
As for a student who wanted to remain unnamed, he was frustrated after his application for on-campus housing failed as he solely depends on his loan from the National Higher Education Fund Corp to survive.
“I am very frustrated seeing that my housing application failed. I depend entirely on my study loan, which is not much. My parents cannot give me extra money as they are struggling themselves.”
He shared that he took up odd jobs during the semester break to earn extra money and will continue to do so even when the semester starts next month.
In response to the housing shortage, Universiti Malaya Students’ Union (UMSU) general executive Muhammad Noraiman Zulkifli said the union will continue to urge the administration to resolve the issue.
“We have asked them to speed up the opening of the 13th residential college seeing it has been under renovation for almost four years.
The premises could accommodate at least 1,000 students if it is fully open.”
The union had alleged that the university’s Student Affairs Division said that the UMSU Rental House (RSKMUM) could no longer be used as it is needed to house UM employees.
However, UMSU claimed that there are other houses besides RSKMUM that are empty and unoccupied. – The Vibes, September 18, 2022
