Once again, the issue of double standard rules has angered Malaysians-this time, it’s our public university students. As of now, university students who return to their universities will have to be quarantined for ten days in their hostels and are not allowed to leave the campus at all.
However, university student Amir (name altered for privacy reasons) has called out Higher Education Minister, Dr Noraini Ahmad, for the double standard present in these rules. He asked why students have to quarantine for ten days but the staff who work there, auxiliary police, and even the cafe workers are allowed to leave and enter the premises as they please. What’s more worrying is that these people are in close contact with the students.
“Dr Noraini, are students just expected to stay cooped inside the IPTA especially with Ramadhan around the corner? There aren’t many cafes open and we were even told to buy the materials required for our projects online.
I would like to ask, the staff who are coming and going as they please, are they immune to Covid-19?”
He added that even after the ten-day isolation period, students are not allowed to leave the university gates without permission or they will face disciplinary actions. Amir also posed a question asking why IPTA students are restricted from leaving the campus but schools are operating as usual.
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Amir said the management of the university explained that the rule was to protect the students and to prevent them from contracting Covid-19 but it’s baffling when they’re in close contact with the staff who get to leave the campus.
For illustration purposes only.
As for the situation inside the hostel, Amir explained that there are only four cafes open now and they only operate from 11am to 9pm. Sadly, the food is often not enough as hundreds of students only have those four shops to choose from.
“Our other alternative is to order food from delivery services but not all the students come from wealthy families that can afford it.”
Amir explained that he contacted his University Students Representatives who said the university is apparently planning to allow students to go out once a week on Saturdays using IPTA transport only.
“Management said that “we are not locking our students inside the campus” and they are still discussing it. How can they say something like that when we cannot even go out freely like other staff?”
Upon asking his other IPTA friends, Amir found out that the rule has not been standardised among universities as some instituitions allow their students to go out after ten days while some don’t.
University students, what have you been going through? Let us know in the comments section!
Also read: Woman Braves 50KM Journey On Motorcycle To Send Her Son To University
