JUNE 13 — If you’re graduating from University of Malaya (UM) this year, your physical degree certificate will cost you extra.
The university recently announced that starting July, it would only issue digital certificates to graduates. Those who want the paper version have to pay RM50 in processing fee — for local students. International students have to pay RM70.
At most universities, the original certificates are provided for free. If you lose or damage it, the replacement will cost you. That makes sense.
Then again is it ever truly “free”? Unlikely. The cost of the paper, design and printing is paid with money from somewhere, perhaps simply priced into the existing fee charge. Therefore to be fair what UM is doing here — essentially passing the cost to students — is nothing new.
But the way the UM is passing that cost is strange. The message from this new rule for printed certificates is that if you can’t afford it or don’t want to pay the fee, the university isn’t going to give you the printed version. You want it, you pay for it. It’s your choice.
Yet it doesn’t seem like much of a choice. After years chasing the degree and paying thousands in fees, would anyone forgo that piece of paper to save RM50? Having the degree scroll in physical form validates years of effort and forgoing it is not an option for most people. Sentimentality is a powerful factor and RM50 is relatively cheap these days.
Looking past that, what this fee imposition does is place UM’s image and branding at risk. Instead of being the nation’s premier university, UM might start being thought of as the university that charges for every single thing ― not a nice way to be thought of, surely.
Is that risk worth the cash from this fee?
Jumping the shark?
If UM goes through with this fee, then inevitably another question that begs asking is where UM’s priorities lie now.
When it was established, UM was named after then-Malaya. The Carr-Saunders report on education in Malaya recommended that the university be established and went on to say that it “would provide for the first time a common centre where varieties of race, religion and economic interest could mingle in joint endeavour ... For a University of Malaya must inevitably realise that it is a university for Malaya."
Stated on its website is a mission to “advance knowledge and learning through quality research and education for the nation and for humanity.”
Is UM now pursuing financial numbers instead of focusing on delivering quality education?
Maybe it is simply feeling the pinch of higher costs but without access to its accounts, it’s hard to say ― especially with public universities being heavily subsidised in any case.
Granted UM may be feeling the pressure for funds as cutting edge research and the best academic staff don't come cheap. In 2008 the apex university status ― which comes with extra funding ― was given to Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), not UM. To keep itself ahead of the pack (especially USM) UM would need more money.
But does that justify charging students in this manner? Has UM exhausted all other alternative avenues to cut costs or raise more funds? Is the fee imposed at no profit or is UM making some money out of the RM50 per scroll?
As a public university run mostly with public funds, UM owes the public an explanation to justify this fee imposition, which would be felt by mostly Malaysian students. Otherwise it risks hurting its own standing among Malaysians.
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
