PUTRAJAYA: A total of 3,029 students at public higher education institutions nationwide have been affected by the ongoing floods, with more than 500 of them relocated to temporary relief centres.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the ministry had put in place various forms of assistance, including food baskets, transportation, and international hotlines for the students.
He said he had also instructed the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zaini Ujang, to meet with the flood volunteer team on Monday to monitor the situation.
"The number of students relocated to temporary relief centres (PPS) within campuses, particularly on the East Coast, is 481, while 42 students have been moved to centres outside of campuses.
"We are collaborating with Nadma (National Disaster Management Agency), under the leadership of Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. In addition, internal hotlines have been set up, and we have a team of volunteers on standby. I have instructed the secretary-general to meet with our volunteers on Monday, and our university-level teams are ready to assist," he told reporters after the closing ceremony of the Putrajaya Festival of Ideas (FOI) here, today.
Public universities affected by the floods include Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan.
As of this morning, continuous rainfall has caused a sharp increase in flood victims across several states, with Kelantan reporting the highest number.
A total of 59,232 individuals have been evacuated to 221 temporary relief centres, up from 50,947 at 207 centres the previous night.
In Terengganu, 20,911 people from 5,916 families are sheltering in 232 relief centres, up from 17,762 at 8pm yesterday.
Other states affected by the floods include Kedah, Perlis, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, and Selangor.
Earlier, the Malaysian Meteorological Department issued a continuous rain warning for eight states: Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Pahang, Perlis, Kedah, Penang, and Johor.