KUALA LUMPUR – The allowance of RM800 to be given to students undergoing industrial training in government offices and government-linked companies (GLCs) will be able to help them cope with the rising cost of living.
Universiti Putra Malaysia Student Representative Council president Fatin Amirah Mohd Hisham said the amount was sufficient for students undergoing industrial training to pay for rent, food and travelling expenses to and from work.
“I think all students nationwide are grateful to the government for this because it is some comfort to us. Even though the amount is not too much, it is not too little either – and yes, we are relieved.
“It is not that we want to live in luxury, we just want to be able to fill our stomachs, cover our fares to and from work. Some of my friends did not get any allowance during their six months of industrial training, even though they work just as hard as other workers,” she told Bernama.
At the Budget 2024 engagement session in Putrajaya yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that students who undergo industrial training in government offices and GLCs will be given a minimum apprenticeship allowance of RM800 per month.
Elaborating on the matter, Fatin, who is also a National Student Consultative Council member suggested that a policy regarding industrial training for students be included in the University and University College Act (Auku) 1971, including matters involving allowances.
“So far, nothing is mentioned in the act or the Employment Act on students’ industrial training and this makes it difficult for us to refer to it if something happens to us (students).
“If matters on student training are stated in policies, we can fight for our rights and propose to put the minimum condition on allowance for students undergoing industrial training,” she said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Youth Council president Mohd Izzat Afifi Abdul Hamid said the allowance given would at least ease the burden of those who have to bear the cost of undergoing training – which is now mandatory for every course of study.
“Allowances were given previously for trainees (at government departments and agencies) but one of the constraints was that there was no budget allocated to the department to pay the students.
“To ensure that this is continuously implemented, government departments and agencies must allocate a budget for industrial training allowance in 2024 so that students will continue to enjoy the allowance as announced by the prime minister,” he said. – Bernama, July 15, 2023
