Unisel students don’t have a place to stay

KUALA SELANGOR: About 1,000 students of Universiti Selangor (Unisel) who registered Tuesday are facing accommodation problems since the management of the residential college refused them accommodation at its hostel.

Unisel Student Representative Council (MPP) president Mohd Jeffri Abu Hassan said the council was not informed of the matter officially and were only informed verbally.

"The matter was not announced, what we know is that the hostels were not opened because the workers did not come to work as they have not been paid salary. Their head was also on leave since Friday without leaving any notice on the matter," he told reporters, here.

He said students who could not enter the residential college comprised semester two to final year students.

"First year and new students had received their keys and can stay at their respective hostel because they had registered early, namely, a week ago when the office for hostel operations was still open," he said.

He said, to tackle the problem, MPP with the cooperation of the Student Affairs Welfare Body, had provided temporary hostels to help affected students.

In a newspaper report, Selangor Barisan Nasional deputy chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar claimed Unisel owed Syarikat Jana Niaga Sdn Bhd (JNSB)RM15mil.

JNSB was responsible for developing and managing student accommodation on the university's main campus in Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor.

The debt included arrears in payments involving maintenance cost at the main campus and the operations of the hostels in the university, which belonged to the Selangor state government.

Accommodation problems aside, the students also had to shoulder financial burden when Unisel had allegedly made excess deductions from their National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans. - Bernama

UTM to use security codes on certificates

JOHOR BARU: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) will use security codes on its certificates due to the increasing number of people using fake certificates to get jobs.

"The security features are similar to the ones use by the United States security agencies.

"Employers only need to scan the certificates to find out if the certificates are from UTM," UTM building design senior lecturer Dr Muhammad Zaly Shah said.

UTM is the first university in the country to implement the initiative.

University applicants can know results from Tuesday

PETALING JAYA: Applicants who appealed for admission into the programmes for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia leavers or equivalent at public institutions of higher learning for the 2011/12 academic session can check their status from noon Tuesday.

In a statement on Monday, the Higher Education Ministry said it had set up 10 hotlines for this purpose and applicants could call 03-8883 5858 to check.

Applicants can also check at the ministry's Students Admission Division (UPU) website at http://upu.mohe.gov.my or other sites at http://www.ipt.utm.my or http://www.ipt.uum.edu.my.

Alternatively, applicants can obtain their application status via SMS by typing UPU RESULT [Identity card number] and sending the SMS to 15888.

Candidates may print their offer letters by browsing the admissions page of their respective university websites from Wednesday.

Those who do not receive offer from any IPTA by July 3 would have failed in their appeal.

Applicants can also make enquiries at 03-8883 5848. The ministry's general line is 03-8883 5801/02.

PTPTN loans to cover students from families with RM4,000 income

KUALA LUMPUR: Institutions of higher learning (IPT) students from families with net income of less than RM4,000 a month will be entitled to full loan to cover fees and subsistence from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) from July.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said previously, only students from families with net income of less than RM3,000 were eligible for full loan.

“Before this, students from families with net income between RM3,000 and RM5,000 were entitled to loan covering fees and partial living expanses while those with net income of RM5,000 and above were eligible to loan to pay up only their fees.

“The move will enable more IPT students to be eligible for full loans based on the criteria set such as taking accredited courses,” he told reporters after opening the IPT Entrepreneurship Development Direction Seminar here on Thursday.

On the IPT entrepreneurship development, he said each public institution of higher learning (IPTA) was allocated RM150,000 to set up an entrepreneurship centre and RM100,000 for the inculcation of entrepreneurial culture.

“The entrepreneurship centre is a very significant entity that will plan, coordinate, monitor and evaluate all entrepreneurial development programmes and act as a contact point in the IPT entrepreneurship development affairs,” he said.

Mohamed Khaled said all institutions of higher learning, including private IPTs must set up their own entrepreneurship centre and to date only three universities - Universiti Malaya, Universiti Utara Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Mara - had such centres.

“The country need many entrepreneurs to make the New Economic Model and the 10th Malaysia Plan a success and the role of the IPT is significant.

“If the IPT could provide succinct business training and exposure to students, who have the entrepreneurship potential, they will have the prospect of becoming promising entrepreneurs after they graduate,” he said.-Bernama

Green agents in the making at UTM

JOHOR BARU: The Green Agent Summit (GAS) by STEP (Save the Environment People) of AIESEC UTM is back again at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) here from Aug 23 to 25.

Green Agent Summit is an annual conference for youths aged 15 to 19, who are serious about making a difference to the world they live in. 

The mission of the conference is to effectively raise environmental awareness among youths and developing leadership potential at the same time.

The objective of GAS is to motivate youth to play an active role in saving the environment in a fun and exciting way.

Throughout the three-day conference, delegates will get to challenge their limits through many intriguing activities lined up in the agenda.

One of them is the Go Green Explorace where the participants would be able to explore the green beauty of nature in the second largest university in Malaysia and stand a chance to win many attractive prizes.

They will also be bringing home a cross cultural experience by attending Global Village where they'll get the wonderful opportunity to "travel" around the world in one day.

Our green agents will gain international exposure as our facilitators are flown in from around the globe such as Germany, Japan and Switzerland. With project partners like Tanah Sutera Sdn Bhd and Kulim Malaysia, the urgent message to save our ailing planet is conveyed more effectively and professionally to youths.

AIESEC is an international youth-run organisation which provides a platform for young people to discover and develop their leadership potential.

Existing in 110 countries with more than 600,000 members, AIESEC has brought positive impact to many youths around the globe through conferences and exchange programs offered.

AIESEC strives to produce great young leaders who want to be the change they want to see.

Registration for the Green Agent Summit is open till Aug 10. For details, call Lee Poh Yong at  012-607 4950 or email him at pohyong.lee@aiesec.net.

Read more: Green agents in the making at UTM - Johor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/johor/green-agents-in-the-making-at-utm-1.112197#ixzz21n4aj8JJ

@newstraitstimes

'No need to open up UiTM to other races'

PETALING JAYA: Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) is the last bastion for Malay and bumiputra students to further their studies and there is no need to open it up to other races, the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) said.
In a response to the proposal by Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for UiTM to open up 10% of its intake to other races, PPIM said the move would be seen as challenging the special rights of the Malays.
PPIM project director Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin said the government and its leaders had to be tougher in defending such issues because although the country was multiracial, there was "no need to sideline Malay special rights."
"If something like this is allowed to happen, then there will be a worrying situation where many Malay institutions will crumble and be 'Malaysia-nised'.
"It is hoped that the exclusiveness of UiTM is not undermined by anyone and it be allowed to continue as an institution that will strengthen the Malays," he said in a statement.
Noor Nirwandy said that UiTM has not only produced many excellent scholars but has also had many graduates who were able to compete with other races in the job market.
He added that the reason given by Khalid, which was to create more competition amongst students, was unnecessary because university students already competed amongst each other.

@thestaronline

Menang Corp bags RM260mil UiTM Shah Alam project

MENANG Corp (M) Bhd will receive nearly RM50 million annually over 20 years after building a Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) satellite campus in Puncak Alam, Selangor.

The company stands to get RM39.8 million a year from leasing the site for 20 years, and another RM8.86 million a year to maintain the campus over the same period of time.

This is on top of a RM260 million contract Menang has secured to build the campus from the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE).

The contract was secured through its 51 per cent unit Rumpun Positif Sdn Bhd, Menang said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia yesterday.

Rumpun Positif signed a concession agreement with MoHE and UiTM to undertake the project based on "Build-Lease-Maintain-Transfer".

It will take about three years to build the campus.

"Upon completion, the campus will be leased to the government/UiTM for 20 years and during the period, Rumpun Positif will also be maintaining the facilities, infrastructure of the campus.

"The concession period of the project is therefore 23 years, inclusive of the three years of construction period," it said.

The campus is located within the existing UiTM Puncak Alam branch campus.

It will cater for two faculties - the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying and the Faculty of Arts and Design with a total capacity of 3,000 students.

"The total construction cost of the campus is about RM260 million," Menang said.

"The project will have a significant effect on the company after the completion as there will be two major streams of stable cash flow for the next 20 years to cater for our continuing working capital needs as well as providing resources and time for the group to engage in strategic big ticket items," it added.

-- BUSINESS TIMES