SHAH ALAM: Universiti Selangor (Unisel) has spent RM23 million to provide scholarships to 1,700 foundation students at the university since 2016, the State Assembly was told today.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (pix) said the initiative has been successful in reducing the financial burden on students who are unable to afford tuition fees.
He said Unisel Zakat Unit had also disbursed tuition fee assistance amounting to RM249,000 in 2021 and RM249,639.08 in 2022 to eligible foundation students.
“In addition, the University Tuition Fund with an allocation of RM2 million by the state government is also an effort to alleviate the financial burden of the students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no allocation from the state government to Unisel as students were attending online classes, but there was an allocation of RM15 million in 2021, RM5 million in 2022 and RM5 million this year,” he said.
Amirudin said this in reply to Danial Al-Rashid Haron Aminar Rashid (PH-Batu Tiga) who wanted to know the efforts taken by the state government-owned Unisel in helping its students.
Amirudin said that Unisel also provides scholarship schemes and student aid to assist students from low-income families at the university.
“Unisel data shows that 64 per cent of its students come from B40 households. Therefore, efforts are being made to assist these students, who may face financial constraints, to prevent them from being left behind just because of their financial problems.
“Among the scholarships are the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship, Bistari Scholarship, Bistari Health Sciences Scholarship, Unisel Foundation Student Aid, Borneo Unisel Foundation Scholarship, and the Unisel Foundation Loan Assistance,” he said.
He said, according to records, no students had been expelled from the university due to financial reasons.
“Over these past four years, only 94 students applied to discontinue their studies due to financial problems, 16 of whom in 2020, in 2021 (41), in 2022 (19) and this year (18). All of these were voluntary requests by students to discontinue and not Unisel’s decision to expel them,” he added. –Bernama
