ASSISTANCE: Cause of problem has to be looked into first, says Khaled
PUTRAJAYA: THE Higher Education Ministry will look into relocating Kolej Universiti Insaniah (Kuin) students if their studies are affected by problems brought about by its management.
Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin said yesterday that they would move in to help the students once the matter was investigated.
“It is a normal procedure for the ministry. We will look into transferring the students should their studies be affected and find alternative venues for them.
“However, the ministry has yet to discover the true cause of the problem and no further steps will be taken until the cause is found,” he said at a research grant presentation ceremony, here.
The minister said they would also look into the issues surrounding the peaceful assembly staged by the staff last Tuesday.
“We will sit down and talk with Kuin authorities, the staff, and the student representatives to decide on how to resolve the problem,” he said, adding that they would have the discussion soon.
Khaled reiterated that the ministry would have to analyse the actual cause of the problem first.
He said the ministry would not get involved if the matter was merely due to animosity between the staff and the rector.
Kuin rector Prof Datuk Dr Jamil Osman had come under fire after his staff had complained that he had failed to ensure the welfare of both the workers and the students.
They claimed that although their employer had deducted their salaries for car, insurance, personal and housing loans, the money did not reach the respective creditors.
The state-owned institution also made news in February, when the students held a protest demanding that the rector be replaced and Kuin be declared free of the Universities and University Colleges Act. The students also accused the management of not providing them proper accommodation.
Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak yesterday insisted, however, that there were no problems with the management and that the issue was over-politicised.
Khaled also said they would look into relocating other university students who were facing problems with the management.
“We will look into placing them in other more suitable institutions.”
It was reported yesterday that 500 students from a private nursing college were left stranded when their college closed its operations due to management problems.
New Straits Times 6.7.12
++++
