Over 300 students left in the lurch after closure of private medical college

Students of Alliance University Colleague of Medical Science at its campus in Kepala Batas, Penang, last September. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, November 13, 2014.More than 300 medical students have been left in the lurch after the closure of a Penang-based private medical university, because the education ministry has yet to approve their transfer to continue at other institutions, an opposition MP said.

"The students’ education and welfare are at stake because they cannot continue their studies at the other universities while at the same time, they are paying for their study loans,” said PKR's Sungai Petani MP, Datuk Johari Abdul (pic, right), at the parliament lobby today.

The Health ministry has approved the transfer of 210 students to Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS) and another 120 to AIMST University in Kedah but the students cannot pursue their studies because the education ministry has yet to give the green light.

"We want the education ministry to approve the transfer quickly. I hope everything can be wrapped up by December so that they can continue their studies in January,” said Johari.

The Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS) in Kepala Batas was closed on October 15 due to financial difficulties.

Saying AUCMS's closure has cast a negative light on private education in Malaysia, Johari called for stern action against its owner and the university management.

G. Manivanan (PKR-Kapar), meanwhile, said there is a need for stricter monitoring of private institutions of higher learning.

"The ministry needs to ensure universities have enough funds, infrastructure and human resources before they are given the approval to operate. They also need close monitoring to ensure such incidents do not recur," he said.

In April this year, it was reported that some of AUCMS's high-ranked academic and administration staff were not paid salaries since the start of the year.

It was also reported that staff had threatened to boycott classes due to the ongoing problems, and the medical faculty was losing many high-ranked and clinical lecturers.

AUCMS had previously denied claims that it had neglected the welfare of its employees after they complained of not receiving their salaries for months.

AUCMS specialises in Medicine and Allied Health Sciences courses, and was founded in 2002 by Datuk Dr Zainuddin Mohd Wazir, well-known for his expertise in cardiothoracic surgery. It had set up a modern heart centre at the Penang Hospital.

- TMI