BUKIT MERTAJAM: The story of a young woman who turned down a university offer to care for her visually impaired mother has caught the attention of Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
Dharsini Subramaniam, 21, was offered a place to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Software Engineering at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia (UTeM) in Melaka, but declined due to her family's financial hardship.
"This (university offer) should have been good news because Dharsini's lifelong dream has been to become a software engineer. But due to her family's poverty, she decided not to accept the offer.
"Her mother is visually impaired.
"To make things worse, a few years ago, her mother had an accident which left her with a broken leg, and her father is no longer around.
"Dharsini couldn't bear the thought of burdening her beloved mother. University fees and all the other costs amount to tens of thousands of ringgit," he said in a post on Facebook.
Sim, who is Bukit Mertajam member of parliament, added that Dharsini had to work part-time in a mini-market, earning RM1,500 a month, which she used to support her family while saving little by little.
Determined to help the outstanding student, Sim visited Dharsini and gave her the UTeM admission form.
He also surprised them by saying he would cover all varsity costs for Dharsini.
"I told Dharsini and her mother that I would cover all the costs of studying at UTeM, including registration fees and a laptop.
"If she gets PTPTN (student loan), the funds I've provided can be used to cover her living expenses and her mother's needs," he said, adding that he had also taken Dharsini as his foster daughter.