University students’ groups have urged Universiti Malaya (UM) to retract a recently released dress code guideline, saying it encroaches on the freedom of varsity students to dress.
In making the call, Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) president Ten Kang Yeaw also urged UM students to participate in a civil disobedience movement to defy the regulation as a protest against the dress code.
“If any students are penalised by the university under this dress code, Umany urges the affected students to contact them, and they will consider taking legal action to sue the university in court to safeguard the students’ rights.
“UM, as the foremost university in Malaysia, with 20 percent of the student population being international students, has the responsibility to create an inclusive, progressive, and diverse campus culture, allowing students to pursue their studies without being constrained by unreasonable regulations,” Ten said in a joint press conference with another student group, Suara Siswa UM, today.
Ten alleged that in recent months, both the UM administration and the Higher Education Ministry have introduced conservative policies.
“From the previous concert guidelines to today’s conservative dress code, they have been gradually undermining UM’s secular and progressive stance, gradually distancing themselves from their position as the country’s leading university.”
Suara Siswa president Abqari Annuar said the UM management should realise that a person’s attire does not reflect a person’s intelligence.
“When a person wears formal clothing, it doesn’t automatically make them intelligent. Does Malaysia’s premier university care more about its image rather than providing a safe campus for its students?
“Suara Siswa asserts that this clothing guideline must be retracted immediately. The student’s comfort should be the main priority and not the desires of those who sit in air-conditioned rooms.
“Universities are said to be breeding grounds of future leaders, if our beloved varsity truly wants to be such a place, stop treating us as children and allow us to make decisions including choosing our own attire,” he said.
Under the UM “administrative direction” for dress code, there were three types of occasional attire guidelines, namely formal events, sportswear, and lectures or other daily activities.
For formal attire, the circular showed four students wearing traditional baju melayu and baju kurung, as well as three-piece suits for men and women.
Meanwhile, for sports and recreational wear, shorts were prohibited as it showed four students wearing tracksuits and jerseys.
Finally, for daily academic activities, another four students posed, wearing formal-casual attire such as polo shirts and khaki pants. - Mkini
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