JANUARY 14 — I think that all of us were horrified to hear of the recent reports of undergraduates in our local public universities facing starvation and dire circumstances attributed to the lack of money to buy food, which in one case led to perforated or ruptured intestines.
The students running the humanitarian assistance programmes to help provide food to others on campus in need, are a credit to their respective universities and should be held up as fine examples of Malaysians at their best. It gives us all much hope to see so many refuse to be of colder and selfish hearts and turn a blind eye to their friends and classmates in desperate hunger.
I do hope that the administrations of Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Perlisand Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, view the efforts of those involved as an inspiration for the rest of the student body and provide the necessary support and backing for them to continue their much needed work.
However, having said that, I am compelled to ask why these programmes were needed to begin with and how did it come to this?
For as long as I can remember, I have never known any university student who was not hungry or starving practically most hours of the day. The experience of living away from the warm creature comforts and safety of home and parents is a challenging one for many, regardless of whatever socioeconomic background a person comes from. Unless you are “loaded”, the reality is that something as simple as feeding yourself becomes especially daunting.
It requires skills in financial management, discipline and a fair bit of wisdom.
I remember that undergraduate pe
Like many of us who were doing our degrees, I too have looked at a packet of Maggi mee and wondered whether it was possible to split it in half and reserve for tomorrow’s dinner (it was possible). I was a regular at the makcik selling economy rice or nasi campur and often picked this combination for a RM1 lunch: white rice with curry/kuah on top and a fried egg (probably costs RM3 these days). I have hunted and scavenged for loose coins and notes to get enough to buy supplies.Guess what? Drinking lots of plain water does make you full and make you forget your hunger for awhile.
Like some of us who had thicker skin (muka tak malu lah), I skulked around the Perdanasiswa Complex like a hyena to see which corporate outfit had organised student briefings and recruitment drives because they always had good food (and it’s free!) and there were always lots of leftovers from the buffets.
So when I heard about what happened to those students in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the ruptured intestines, the Food for Mahasiswa programme and the results of the survey with 25,632 students from six public universities by the Muslim Volunteer Malaysia Association (MVM), I could understand and empathise with the hunger. I get it.
What I was shocked and couldn’t comprehend or fully grasp was how these students felt themselves to be so disempowered and helpless. That they would be solely dependent on the limited stipend or allocation provided through student loans and scholarships. That they did not seek other ways to gain additional income such as doing part-time or odd jobs.
The reality is that unless you have a full ride scholarship, most of the study loans or scholarships provided will be sufficient to cover the tuition and study expenses but very little else. If it doesn’t make sense that RM500 is supposed to comfortably cover the living expenses of a whole semester, that’s because it isn’t suppose to. You would be foolish to believe otherwise.
And then there are those who send a chunk of what’s left of their National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) disbursement to their folks back home. As much as this is a commendable act of filial duty, the allocation provided to students taking on study loans under this fund, does NOT include a contribution for mum and dad. I’m sorry but you and your parents really need to accept the fact that you can only afford to do this properly once you start working.
Whether you are lucky enough to share a room in campus accommodation o
Having soup kitchens, providing free or suspended meal programmes to students are merely stop-gap measures which help them but do very little to address the fundamental problem of them not having enough money to survive and pay for food or other essential expenses.
It is extremely admirable that the students affected refused to cause worry and increase the financial burden by asking help from their parents, especially if you are from a poor or lower income family.
When you go to universities abroad, it is common to see students working through the summer break and holiday seasons. Some even have these temp jobs throughout their entire time in uni, financing their education this way.
The most empowering and character building solution to addressing this issue is to encourage our students to summon the courage and find the time to work part-time.
This is a time to ignore an advice/ warning/ reminder given by most Malaysian parents to their kids going to university: that your job there is to study and nothing else. This is bad advice. Your job is to get an education and if you are fortunate enough to go to uni, it is not only about scoring the best grades that you can get but also about preparing for life in the future.
Demanding for student loans to be cancelled or providing massive discounts on tuition are not sustainable alternatives or solutions and do little to empower our young people to stand on their own two feet and learn to be self-sufficient.
I speak from experience of having once worked serving tables at a restaurant and a bar, that students who work while they are in university have a huge advantage over their non-working counterparts. They are able to get exposure to real life experiences, gain valuable life skills such as in communications and financial responsibility. It is a great way to get a hands-on feel for the real working world and what it is like to work with people. The extra money you get definitely helps.
It is certainly not a demeaning thing to work while doing your studies. Who cares if the people you serve one day are your friends coming in to makan? Nak malu apa? You are earning money while they are spending it!
Yes, it may seem impossible at first, juggling classes and part-time work. But you can do it. Many already have. So can you.
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
