Najib set to announce Han Chiang College upgrade

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is expected to announce the upgrading of Han Chiang College (HCC) to a university college status during his visit to Penang on April 30.

Han Chiang College Honorary Principal Cheah See Kian (left) has confirmed the matter, saying he had received the information from BN leaders.

"Najib will make two important announcements on Tuesday - restore Penang’s free port status and the approval of HCC as a university college," Cheah told Malaysiakini.

However, he denied that the college had received a formal approval letter on the matter.

"This was told to us by BN leaders, I'm not the one who said it. We are invited to attend the dinner, but have yet to receive any formal letter,” he stressed.

The dinner is being organised by the Penang Chinese Town Hall and other associations which represent all races in Penang.

They will present a memorandum to Najib to support BN's proposal to restore Penang's free port status and implement a monorail system in the state.

Coincidentally, Penang DAP is expected to organise a massive rally on April 29, a day before the event at the same venue, targeting 50 thousand people.

Cheah said that they have already submitted a memorandum on the matter to the Higher Education Ministry early this year, along with a copy to Najib as well.

"We have improved our lecturers’ qualifications - where 15 percent of them are PhD holders - while the number of students are also increasing, and (have been) offered 3+0 courses," he added.

"We started discussing about the upgrading since last year, and have submitted the application during Najib's visit to Penang during the Chinese New Year.

"We have fulfilled all the qualifications," Cheah noted.