KUALA LUMPUR – A lawmaker from Perikatan Nasional has questioned the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) unity government’s commitment to the promises of free education or education aid outlined in their general election manifesto last year.
During his speech at the Higher Education Committee-level debate in Dewan Rakyat, Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan sought clarification of the government’s current stance, highlighting the financial challenges faced by university students – particularly those from B40 families.
Additionally, he highlighted a news report indicating that over 300,000 Malaysian certificate graduates have opted not to pursue higher education due to financial constraints.
“It has been an open secret that the university students these days have ‘bigger appetite’ and are involved with sugar baby activities.
“Most of the university students who are involved in these immoral activities happened to have come from a B40 background,” he said.
“Looking back at the PH and BN manifesto in the 15th general election, each of them has included many education aid for these groups.
“Therefore, my question now is, what is the update on the promises?
“And what is the government’s initiative in helping these students who are facing financial constraints?”
He also asked the Higher Education Ministry about the government’s efforts to research the phenomenon of sugar baby activities, seeking information on the number of students involved and inquiring about potential measures to address this issue.
Furthermore, he raised the question of whether the government intends to review university syllabi, particularly those utilised during orientation week, to align them more with Shariah principles.
“Hedonism is growing among university students and it’s not an odd thing, seeing that orientation at almost every higher education campus is filled with entertainment and pointless activities.
“Need I remind (the Dewan Rakyat) that education belongs to God.
“And so I put it to the government, if they are planning to revise the syllabus used during orientation to make it more syariah-oriented or moral-oriented during orientation or on any programme held in campus,” he said. – November 27, 2023