Students staying at campuses not allowed to leave

PETALING JAYA: Students living in accommodations at higher learning institutions will not be allowed to travel home during the movement control order (MCO), the Higher Education Ministry said.

“Movement is not allowed,” a ministry official said, adding they must stay put until April 14.

This comes as parents urged the government to allow their children who are staying in campuses to leave, saying that the situation is not psychologically ideal.

“Universities provide counselling and psychological services for students.

“They are advised to follow the

National Security Council’s (NSC) instructions.

“This is better, compared to allowing them to travel, only to be placed in quarantine centres,” the official said.

The ministry posted an infographic on its Facebook page, stating that institutions are not allowed to instruct their students and staff to be present on campus unless it is for essential services.

Institutions will be responsible for their own actions, it said, if staff and students are caught by the authorities.

Zakuan Zakaria said he prefers having his son Zubair Patwa Zakuan at home but understands the situation.

“As parents, we worry but we know his university is providing facilities and accommodation during this period,” he said.

Zubair, 21, broke down during the first week of the MCO but having his friends around kept him at ease.

The student from Perak, studying in a public university in Selangor, would have opted to travel home.

“But looking at the current situation, it’s best for me to stay put.

“I am in touch with my parents every day. They are patient and have faith that I will be able to handle myself well here,” he said.

A Sabahan student, who only wanted to be identified as Gyb, said he would have flown home rather than stay at the accommodation at a private university in Selangor.

“Though I know that it would increase the probability of me transmitting the Covid-19 virus to my family, living without my family here during this period is terrifying.

“It is affecting me mentally and emotionally because I am worried about them,” he said.

On Thursday, a father who declined to be named, wrote to The Star that his daughter was “stuck” in her university in Kuching, Sarawak as her new semester for the academic year has been postponed to June.

“I hope the ministry will allow students, especially those who are studying in east Malaysia and live in the peninsula and vice versa, to go home to their families.

“Staying in the university with no physical classes to attend is not ideal from a psychological standpoint,” he said.

If Malaysian students studying overseas can be brought home, the same can be done for those studying locally, the father added.

“We want our children back home with us.”

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said it may be reassuring for parents to have their children home but travelling will mean students are at risk of being infected.

“Be constantly in touch with them to ensure they are safe, have food and resources.

“Ultimately, the decision by the

NSC must be complied with,” she said.