KUALA LUMPUR – About 70,000 of the 162,414 students from institutions of higher learning (IPT) staying on campus returned home in stages starting yesterday in preparation for the Aidilfitri celebrations.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad said they comprised IPT students in public universities, private higher education institutions, polytechnics and community colleges.
She said their movement adheres to standard operating procedure (SOP) via four stipulated methods, namely using buses coordinated by IPTs, their own vehicles, being picked up by parents or by flights for Sabah students.
“The decision to allow them to travel was made after receiving the approval of the National Security Council (NSC) and Health Ministry (MoH) recently.
“So, I advise each student to comply with SOPs throughout their stay in their home towns with their families by wearing masks, using hand sanitisers and adopting physical distancing,” she said while monitoring the movement of students from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) campus here yesterday.
Earlier, the Higher Education Ministry announced that more than 100,000 IPT students currently on campus would be allowed to return home for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays, except for Sarawak.
The movement of students in stages was fixed from May 7 to 12 from campuses to their respective homes while the return journey is from May 15 to 20.
Meanwhile, 7,500 UKM students returned to their homes nationwide, except to Sarawak, under the first phase last night by boarding 19 buses. A total of 350 students will board 13 buses today and the final phase tomorrow will see 32 students leaving the campus.
On the procedure for the IPT students when they return to campus, Noraini said they will be required to undergo screening, especially those from high-risk areas.
“If they are symptomatic and record high temperatures, they will be isolated and not allowed on campus. For those who are asymptomatic, they can return to campus and continue with the learning sessions,” she said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) helped arrange transportation for 2,748 of its students to return to their home towns beginning yesterday, while today, it will provide 10 buses to take its students home to all states in the peninsula.
“Today, eight buses were used to ferry the students home to all the states in the peninsula, except for Terengganu. The students will leave for Terengganu from tomorrow (today) by two buses,” USM said in a statement yesterday. – Bernama, May 8, 2021
