By Chok Sim Yee

4,220 students offered places at UMS

KOTA KINABALU: Some 4,220 students have been offered to further their tertiary education at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) for the 2018/2019 session.

Of the number, 2,436 (58 per cent) students are from Sabah, 1,718 (40 per cent) students from West Malaysia and Sarawak, and 66 (two per cent) are international students.

The international students are from nine countries, namely China (31 students), Brunei (11), Gabon (1), Germany (1), Japan (1), Indonesia (5), Thailand (11), South Korea (3) and Bangladesh (2).

UMS vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr D Kamarudin D Mudin said the university was faced with the challenge of not only ensuring the students were techsavvy, but also to produce future proof graduates, in line with the call by the Education Ministry.

“I believe the students will be able to learn in a more conducive environment at UMS with the addition of new facilities to meet the current demands,” he said when met at the registration centre here yesterday.

He said UMS offered a total of 68 bachelor’s degree programmes, including four new courses this year.

Meanwhile, UMS also offered 200 spaces for poor students from the Bottom 40 (B40) households as long as they fulfilled the minimum requirements by Unit Pengambilan Universiti (UPU).

Kamarudin said the university provided special aid and welfare allowance to poor students.

This includes the earn and learn concept whereby students are given the opportunity to work and earn an income as long as their academics remain undisrupted, he said.

“The earn and learn concept aims to instill independence among the students.”

This year, UMS also received 21 students with special needs (OKU), who will be placed on the ground floor of Kolej Kediaman Tun Fuad hostel to ease their mobility. The OKU students are also provided with special vehicles for them to attend lectures.

All students will attend the orientation week till September 6.

With the new intakes, Kamarudin estimated the student population at UMS to reach 18,000, including postgraduate students.

To another question, he assured parents of the security at the campus and hostels.

Kamarudin (right) talking to two OKU students, Mohd Zulfadli Aimon bin Sulaiman (left), 20, from Membakut and Wevonny Claudylia Robert, 20, from Manggatal at the registration centre.