KUALA LUMPUR – Student representatives have other ideas after scrutinising the Higher Education Ministry’s RM14.5 billion allocation in Budget 2022, as they feel it falls short of addressing core problems.
Universiti Malaya student union deputy secretary Muhammad Danish Shahmi said the initiatives announced by the finance minister are predictable and do not address the needs of most students.
He said among the good initiatives are discounts for PTPTN loan repayments, one-off payments of RM150 to e-wallets (eStart Programme), and RM900 allowance for students undergoing industry training programmes.
However, it does not help solve the core problems at present.
Danish said the government should be more aware of student welfare issues such as lodging for off-campus students, instead of focusing solely on the financial aspects.
“Subsidies for students’ off-campus lodging should be looked at,” he told The Vibes.
According to Danish, many off-campus students face difficulties in finding lodging near their universities as most such places are expensive.
As such, he said, a good number of students are forced to rent further away for a cheaper rate, wasting precious time on the road.
Danish called for a specific subsidy plan, adding that this is not a new problem.
He said the majority of off-campus students had no choice but to live in the city during the lockdowns because of poor internet connections in their hometowns.
“Students need alternative off-campus living arrangements. Learn from the pandemic. The government must give serious attention to this issue.”
Where are our book vouchers?
Ahmad Aidil Azali, a second-year student from a university in Selangor, expressed dismay as he was hoping for better aid from the government this time around.
He said he was looking forward to book vouchers or even the 1Malaysia Book Voucher (BB1M) programme, as books in university are costly.
He added that the one-off e-wallet payment of RM150 was a good gesture, but the quantum is insufficient.
“I was hoping that the 1Malaysia Book Voucher would make a comeback – or at least something similar, but unfortunately there was nothing.
“We (students) understand that there are digital books now, but it is not the same as having physical books,” he said, adding that this is an issue not just for the B40 group, but others as well.
“After all, we are the future of Malaysia. Why not invest in us appropriately?”
In 2012, the Higher Education Ministry initiated the BB1M programme to ease the financial burden of students in Malaysia.
Five years later, the BB1M was scrapped due to allegations of selling the vouchers in exchange for cash.
A University Sains Islam Malaysia final-year law student – who only wanted to be known as Atiqah – said the discount on the repayment of PTPTN loans was reasonable, but she wished it was a permanent one.
“I will be graduating soon and hope to settle my loans, but I think the discount period given is too short and many of us cannot benefit from it.”
On the budget announcement, Atiqah is of the opinion that the economy of the country is in bad shape and the government is doing its level best to boost the economy.
“Budget 2022 looked optimistic – but at the end, there were quite a few projections that needed to be reshuffled several times,” she said, adding that it was not wrong for the government to be honest in giving projections based on reality so that the people are not too hopeful. – The Vibes, November 11, 2021
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