KOTA KINABALU – University students in Sabah stuck on campus due to the pandemic have received the green light to return to their hometowns.
State Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the decision was made in response to complaints from parents, especially those in the peninsula.
Students who opt to go home will not be allowed back on campus until further notice.
Masidi said the student and alumni affairs department at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has received many requests from parents to let their children return home.
“The UMS management has decided to give permission to students intending to return to their respective hometowns, including in the peninsula and Sarawak, effective November 20, 2020,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
“They can apply for permission to return to their hometowns from their respective faculties.”
Students are also required to submit to their residential offices a declaration letter on them leaving campus.
Masidi said the state government and UMS management are concerned about the welfare and mental health of students unable to return home.
He said the varsity has provided assistance and held programmes for such students to help them cope throughout the conditional movement control order period.
The items distributed include dry food, toiletries, masks and hand sanitiser, he said.
Students are also given targeted Covid-19 tests, as well as provided with online counselling and a 24-hour operations room for student affairs.
Programmes with a counsellor, to help students relax, are held every Friday, and a vehicle is provided for students who need to go to the bank, hospital and police station, among others.
“The university will ensure that students always comply with the prescribed SOPs,” said Masidi. – The Vibes, November 24, 2020
