Re-placement for the University Andalas students

Isnin Oktober 19, 2009

IPTS akan temuduga pelajar Malaysia dari Universiti Andalas, Isnin

Oleh ROZAID A. RAHMAN

PUTRAJAYA: Para pelajar perubatan Malaysia dari Universiti Andalas (Unand) Padang, Sumatera Barat yang terjejas teruk akibat gempa bumi beberapa minggu lalu akan berhimpun di Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) pagi Isnin ini untuk mendengar taklimat khas mengenai masa depan mereka.

Sebahagian besar daripada mereka juga akan menjalani sesi temuduga dengan Institusi-institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta (IPTS) Malaysia bertempat di Dewan Fakulti Perubatan UPM pada jam 10.45 pagi untuk proses penempatan semula mereka di sini.

Setiausaha Akhbar Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi, Mohd Izani memberitahu, seramai 276 pelajar Malaysia di Unand dijangka hadir pada sesi taklimat dan temuduga hari ini.

Pelajar-pelajar yang akan ditemuduga untuk penempatan semula di IPTS Malaysia adalah terdiri daripada pelajar-pelajar tahun satu, dua dan tiga.

Kabinet Rabu lalu telah membuat keputusan untuk menasihati pelajar-pelajar tahun satu, dua dan tiga pengajian perubatan di Unand supaya meneruskan pengajian mereka di IPTS tempatan. Manakala pelajar-pelajar tahun empat dan lima dan mereka yang sedang menjalani latihan klinikal pula dinasihati supaya menamatkan pengajian mereka di Unand.

Keseluruhannya terdapat 313 pelajar perubatan Malaysia di Unand. Daripada jumlah itu, 16 penuntut sedang mengikuti kursus asasi, tahun pertama (45), tahun kedua (44), tahun ketiga (65), tahun keempat (53), tahun kelima (55) dan klinikal (35).

Sesi temuduga Isnin diadakan dengan kelolaan Jabatan Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia (JPT) dengan kerjasama IPTS.

Di antara IPTS yang bersetuju untuk menerima pelajar-pelajar Malaysia di Unand ialah International Medical University (IMU), Allianze College of Medical Sciences, University College Sedaya International (USCI), UniKL-Perak Royal College of Medicine, Kolej Universiti Mahsa, Management and Science University (MSU), Melaka Manipal Medical College dan Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST).

Rabu lalu, Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin berkata, pasukan kementerian yang dihantar ke Unand untuk memantau situasi di situ telah mengemukakan laporan penilaian teknikal dan pembelajaran fizikal kepada pihak kementerian.

Katanya, laporan tersebut mengenalpastikan Unand tidak kondusif untuk para penuntut menyambung semula pengajian mereka kecuali bagi pelajar tahun akhir dan mereka yang sedang menjalani latihan klinikal.

"Oleh itu, kita galakkan penuntut tahun pertama hingga tahun ketiga yang banyak menghabiskan masa dalam kuliah agar menyambung kursus mereka di IPTS. Para penuntut tahun keempat, kelima dan klinikal pula diminta supaya menghabiskan pengajian mereka di Unand kerana mereka lebih banyak menghabiskan masa di hospital berbanding mengikuti kuliah.

"Juga rata-ratanya, para penuntut tahun keempat, kelima dan klinikal telah membayar kira-kira 95 peratus yuran pengajian mereka," jelas Mohamed Khaled.

Tambah beliau, sekiranya para penuntut berkenaan tidak ingin menyambung pelajaran di situ, yuran tidak dapat dikembalikan dan tiada pampasan akan diberikan.

Dalam pada itu, di samping membantu para penuntut Malaysia ini menyambung semula pengajian mereka di dalam negara, JPT juga bersedia membantu pelajar membuat permohonan untuk mendapatkan pinjaman Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN).

Bagaimanapun, pinjaman PTPTN itu adalah maksimum sehingga RM150,000 bagi setiap penuntut. - the star

Be safe.

Malaysian medical student killed in car crash in Salem

CHENNAI (Oct 14, 2009) : A Malaysian medical student and her two local friends, including a doctor, were killed when the car they were travelling in, collided with a bus while the students were returning home yesterday evening.

Fatimatussolihah Aziz, 22, of Kuala Terengganu, died on the spot in the crash which occured at a road under construction in Seeragapadi, Salem about 4.30pm.

She was a third-year student at the Vinyaka Mission Dental College in Salem, about 400km from here.

The car driver, identified only as Dr Sabree, 25, and one of two passengers, Arathi Srikumar, 21, were also killed on the spot.

The other passenger, Dr Mohseen, from Kerala, was critically injured in the mishap.

The accident occured when the Malaysian and her friends were returning in a Maruti Suzuki Swift car to their rented house, located about 20km from the college. The car was reduced to a wreck.

Khairudin Abdullah, the Malaysian education counsellor based in Chennai, told Bernama today:

"The Malaysian student died on the spot. The Consul-General's office in Chennai is making arrangements to fly the body to Malaysia today."

The body is being taken to Bangalore, the nearest airport, where it would be sent to Malaysia, possibily tonight.

In KUALA TERENGGANU, Fatimatussolihah's grandmother Hendon Yusof, 72, told Bernama, her granddaughter had telephoned her a few days before leaving back for India after spending a holiday back home during the fasting month.

"She called to apologise that she was unable to come to Kuala Terengganu. I did not expect that would be the last call from her," she said when met her home in Kampung Binjai here.

She said she heard news of the tragedy from Fatimatussolihah's father Aziz Kasim, 46, an engineer with Tenaga Nasional Berhad now living in Kedah, but happened to be in Kuala Terengganu on work matters. -- BERNAMA

Comment

Whilst this is not our student we feel the loss for all students around the world seeking to gain some measure of academic advantage and taking the bold step to do this away from home for a better future and a better life. It is sad that when such a bright life is taken away.

While most of our students will one day save many lives, it is necessary to always remind yourselves to be prudent and vigilant. There are things that are out of your control but to whatever is within your control make sure unfettered care and respect for yourselves and your life is taken.

Be safe. There are many faces known and unknown counting on you to get the best education you can so that you can make your life and their lives better.

Bearable heat going further south ?

We have contacted our students in Indonesia to ask them if they were still comfortable there. Was there any social pressure due to nationalism or latent bias within the University walls. The answer was no more than usual.

It seems that there are certain newspapers in Indonesia like the Tempo that keep publishing negative views on Malaysia. They try to stoke fires perhaps to sensationalize or politicize the issue. It may trickle down to some of the citizens but no evidence of that yet to our students. The current views of our politicians are distorted and viewed as arrogant, no one is holding the olive branch on both sides of the issue.

Funnily most of our Indian and Chinese students are automatically presumed to be from India or China but our students, full of the 1 Malaysia spirit, correct them. Our most powerful strength as a country is our unity. To our students the divisions of Malay, Chinese or Indian seem to dissipate when they are there [apparently at all overseas universities]. There they are just Malaysian and damned proud of it!

Most Indonesians tell our students that issues between them and Malaysia stop at the doors of our government and not its people. So overall things are still going well for our students in Indonesia. But we will always keep tabs on them and wish them well.

Malaysian Students Rejected at Indonesian Universities

The Star On Oct 11 2009 reported an article entitled 'KL to look outside Jakarta' referring to ' a claim by the vice-chancellor of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Noh Dalimin that there were a few universities in Indonesia which wanted to stop accepting Malaysian students following various issues raised by certain parties in the republic.'

Those issues were reported in a University Worldwide news article entitled 'INDONESIA: Dispute over foreign students' by David Jardine on the 17 May 2009. The crux of it 'was he row involves the Ministry of National Education and the Heath Ministry with the Health Minister [Siti Fadilah Supari] claiming the number of foreign medical students disadvantages Indonesians.'

Lets examine the apparent and probable reasons for the Indonesian Health Ministry in its claims:
1. There may eventually be more foreigners than locals at Indonesians at their Universities
2. Indonesians are in need of doctors
3. The rift between Malaysian and Indonesia doesn't entitle us for a free ride in admission [which is less competitive than if an Indonesian wanted seats]

A rebuttal by the Ministry of Education Indonesia may have these points:
1. Only 13 of the 60 medical faculties at some 2,800 state and private universities accepted foreign students
2. Even these Universities have a limited 10% quota of total seats available
3. foreign students paid 10 times as much as their Indonesian counterparts and that the income thus generated could be used for the benefit of the locals.
4. Indonesian Unis may be a tough sell anywhere abroad apart from this niche of medical schools

The facts as we know it:

1. There are only two Universities whom are recognized who do in fact reject Malaysian students. These are
-Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java [08/29/2009 : jakarta post]
- University Indonesia, Jakarta

2. These Universities have had this policy for a while now. Susilo Wibowo the rector of Diponegoro commented that they have had this policy since 2006 . [University Indonesia in 2007]

3. Both University Diponegoro and University Indonesia still take students from Malaysia on a case to case basis [circa 4 per year]

4. The bulk of students never look at these universities anyway since the Diponegoro policy has been common knowledge and University Indoensia is pricey with their Australian tie up making it not widely sought after due to alternatives for that price.

Grey areas:

1. It is unclear if Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Noh Dalimin was refering to other Universities in Indonesia prompting our Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin to state that 'the ministry is willing to find other countries for Malaysian students.'

Conclusions

1. As of now nothing has changed. The two Universities that our students don't go to, accept only a very limited amount of Malaysian students.

2. We must keep notice for the other Universities but so far no hint of changes have surfaced.

3. We must take this news with a broader prespective of the Malaysian Medical Council doing an overview of Indonesian Universities [the subject of another article]. We hope it will not be a question of who will reject first in a 'saving face' gesture ? When giants collide a lot of people get trampled on, people these institutions have a need to protect.

4. As for now we [on the part of the college] are opening for availability another 16 universities recognized by the Malaysian Medical Council and the Public Services Department. These Universities are comparable in quality and price to Indonesia, just as alternatives, just in case.

5. We will also keep a close connection to the Universities themselves and the Malaysian medical Council for updates on their policies.