Syed Saddiq wants university tuition fees to be reduced

Former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has urged for university tuition fees to be reduced especially since most classes have stopped in the midst of the movement control order (MCO).

“Unfortunately, my office and I have been receiving complaints from students who say they still have to pay tuition fees as usual.

“Even though most of them have returned home and studies are no longer ongoing, the same fees are still being charged.

“I think this has to change immediately. During MCO, classes have stopped and even if there are classes, they are online.

“There are students without internet access so they cannot keep up with their studies.

“University infrastructures are also not being used,” Syed Saddiq said in a statement posted on his Facebook page today.

On top of that, he said, students from the B40 and M40 economic classes are increasingly suffering under the MCO as many of their parents may have lost their jobs amid an uncertain economy.

He urged the government not to add to these students’ and their families’ burden with their university tuition fees.

“We have to think about their welfare. It is a responsibility that cannot be ignored.

“Do not let this situation escalate until there are students who are forced to drop out of school simply because of the burden of tuition fees during MCO,” Syed Saddiq said.

The future of these students is not a trivial matter, he said, and they all want to complete their tertiary education.

As such, the government should help ease their burden on this matter, he said.

This comes after student group National Muslim Students Association (PKPIM) yesterday also urged the Higher Education Ministry to reduce tuition fees in public universities as almost all students are taking online classes without using university infrastructure.

Yesterday, Higher Education Minister Noraini Ahmad had also said that university classes will be done through online means until Dec 31, 2020. - Mkini