KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) has been urged to help students who have travelled from out of state for physical and face-to-face registration at their institutions of higher learning, only to be turned away.
Kesatuan Mahasiswa Se-Malaysia has also called upon the ministry to refund the costs sustained by the affected students, especially compensating them for their flight tickets.
"We are truly disappointed and frustrated over the last-minute announcement that was issued by MoHE, which had caused chaos and confusion among students who had arrived at their universities for physical registration for the October semester intake.
"We would like to emphasise that MoHE needs to be more proactive in communicating and responding on the matter, especially in making decisions that affect them (students) in the long run.
"There are also issues where students who had completed their rental house payments but are not able to reside there due to this last-minute announcement.
"We are demanding compensation for all these affected students.
"The ministry should put themselves in these students' shoes, especially those who came from lower income families.
"They should address this issue quickly, as we will not compromise with any party that neglects our student's welfare," the coalition said in a statement, today.
Kesatuan Mahasiswa Se-Malaysia is made up of Kesatuan Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya (KMUM), Kesatuan Mahasiswa Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (KMUKM) and Kesatuan Pelajar Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (KPUIA).
They three organisations stressed that university students are the biggest stakeholders at higher learning institutions and as such, they should be duly recognised.
"We believe that the ministry should include students, or at least have one representative from the National Student Consultative Council, in each and every one of their decision making processes (as their decisions) affect students' welfare, especially during Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO).
On Friday, MoHE had called for all institutes of higher learning to postpone physical or face-to-face registration of new and returning students at their campus for the October intake.
The ministry said all student registration exercises could be undertaken online.
"All student registration matters can be done online, as well as aspects of teaching and learning," it said.
The ministry said it is concerned with the views of various parties, including students, parents and the community, following a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases just days before the admission date of new students.