Uproar over sudden postponement of student registrations

Malaysia’s higher education sector is in an uproar after the higher education ministry on Friday suddenly ‘recommended’ that universities postpone the registration of students for the new academic year, which had already started, in view of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

Since then, the immigration department announced on 4 October that entry into the country of all new and existing foreign students, including those who had received immigration approval, is banned until 31 December.

According to a Bernama report, Higher Education Director-General, Mohamed Mustafa Ishak said: “In the case of the United Kingdom, when they reopened universities, hundreds of students were infected by COVID-19, including university staff. So it is better to postpone and allow the situation to improve for at least two weeks and, if the situation is better, students can return to campus again.”

The ministry said all student registration exercises could be undertaken online.

The ministry issued the advice on 2 October with many universities reporting that students had already made travel arrangements to their universities from around the country. They pointed to the huge number of students who were stranded away from home when the first movement control order was announced in March as part of the country’s lockdown, helping the country avoid a massive outbreak – it has seen 12,813 cases since January with 136 deaths.

Just a day before, the ministry had said all students were set to be welcomed back by their universities.

Spike in infections

The higher education ministry (MoHE) said the decision was made following concerns voiced by students, parents and the public following a spike in the number of infections, just a few days before the admission date for new university students. Malaysia reported 317 coronavirus cases on Saturday, the day of the announcement, the highest daily rise in cases since the pandemic hit Malaysia in March.

“We are truly disappointed and frustrated over the last-minute announcement that was issued by the MoHE, which caused chaos and confusion among students who had arrived at their universities for physical registration for the October semester intake,” students union Kesatuan Mahasiswa Se-Malaysia (Malaysian Student Union), which groups several student unions from public universities, said in a statement at the weekend.

“MoHE needs to be more proactive in communicating and responding on the matter, especially in making decisions that affect them [students] in the long run.

“There are also issues where students who had completed their rental house payments but are not able to reside there due to this last-minute announcement.

“We are demanding compensation for all these affected students.”

On Monday, Universiti Utara Malaysia’s main campus in Sintok was reportedly under lockdown after a student tested positive for COVID-19.

Demanding compensation

Kesatuan Mahasiswa Se-Malaysia, which is a coalition of unions from University of Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the International Islamic University, has also called upon the ministry to refund the costs sustained by the affected students, especially compensating them for their flight tickets.

“We are demanding compensation for all these affected students,” it said in a statement.

“The ministry should put themselves in these students’ shoes, especially those who came from lower income families. They should address this issue quickly, as we will not compromise with any party that neglects our students’ welfare.”

Yesterday afternoon, the Higher Education Ministry ‘advised’ all public tertiary learning institutions to defer physical student intakes in view of growing COVID-19 cases and said this should be shifted online along with ongoing classes.

“The decision to postpone the physical or face-to-face registration of the students involved must be made in order to preserve the well-being and safety of all students, university staff and all parties involved.

“For students who are on campus and are pursuing academic activities, they can remain on their respective campuses,” the ministry statement said, urging all public universities to extend the needed assistance to the students affected.

At the same time, the ministry advised universities to suspend events and courses that required gatherings.

Students have been on campus since July.

Rescheduling flights

The ministry also said in an announcement on its official Facebook page that students could reschedule flights with Malaysia Arlines for up to a year from the date of ticket purchase. It said it has proactively consulted with airlines to seek their cooperation in allowing students to reschedule flights they have already booked without incurring extra charges. The waiver only applies to students. The ministry is reportedly negotiating with other airlines that serve Malaysia internally.

As a result of these negotiations, airline companies have agreed to reschedule the flights for students until 31 December.

Since the Higher Education Ministry’s announcement on Friday ordinary Malaysians have mobilised to try to assist the students most affected by the decision.

The Minister of Higher Education, Noraini Ahmad, yesterday apologised for any inconvenience caused to university students over the last-minute notice postponing their in-person registration.

She added that students who had already arrived at their respective campuses can stay there pending further instructions from their universities.

Universiti Malaya (UM) Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs) Abdul Aziz Raman said registration would be postponed to another date to be determined later and would be online instead of in-person.

“For the new students who are already on their way to campus, they are allowed to enrol in a residential college or postpone the trip and return to campus on a date to be announced later,” he said.

“For students who are already on campus and are pursuing academic activities, they can remain on campus. The university will continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19 as well as apply the latest directives from relevant authorities,” he said in a statement.

Students have voiced dissatisfaction, stating the announcement should have been made earlier.

Immigration Director-General Khairul Dzaimee Daud was quoted by the Malaysian news agency Bernama as saying this postponement was made following the Higher Education Ministry’s (KPT) decision to postpone physical registration and learning for students of higher education institutions for the October 2020 intake.

“The department learned that KPT had negotiated with airlines regarding the rescheduling of flights for international students,” he said in a statement.

Cash assistance

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has decided to give cash assistance of MYR100 (US$24) to students who have been stranded following the government’s decision to postpone the registration of students this month.

Its vice-chancellor, Mohd Azraai Kassim, said the aid would be given to students who had turned up at the campus but had to go back home as well as those who had registered and chosen to remain in campus.

“Apart from this, the university’s top management has agreed to waive the college fees for October 2020 for all students staying at residential colleges of UiTM Shah Alam and branch campuses.

“A total of 3,252 students had turned up in person to register between 1 October and 3 October. However, only 940 students have chosen to stay on at UiTM residential colleges throughout the country while the rest decided to return to their respective homes,” he said in a statement.

Mohd Azraai said students who decided to remain at residential colleges would continue to be monitored and helped according to their respective needs.