SUPPORT FOR INDIAN STUDENTS AT MRSM

Mr Manikam

YSS Assistant Director

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There are many Indian students studying at Mara Junior Colleges (MRSM) throughout the country. Non Bumiputra students have been accepted into MRSM since 2002. Every year 10% of the places in the MRSM are given to non Bumiputra students. This is done in order to enlarge opportunity to non Bumiputra students and also to integrate students from different races.

YSS has been monitoring the intake of Indian students into MRSM. Information on MRSM intake has been disseminated to the Indian community via Tamil print and electronic media. They have been made aware of the importance of studying at MRSM.

Besides that, YSS has also been helping in providing moral and financial supports to the Indian students in the MRSM. YSS officers visit the students regularly.

I visited the Indian students studying in MRSM Kuala Kubu Bahru on 19 May 2006. There are altogether 29 Indian students out of which 22 of them are girls. I visited them to discuss their problems and progress related to their studies.

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The students requested YSS to arrange Tamil classes for them. When Dato G. Palanivel, the Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development visited them in 2005, Tamil classes were arranged by him. Mr Punianathan from Kuala Kubu Bahru was teaching them Tamil till February 2006. Due to his personal problem, he stopped teaching at the centre. Through the help of Dato G. Palanivel, he also arranged transport for the students to go to the nearby temples once in two weeks. Since Mr Punianathan’s departure, neither there are Tamil classes conducted nor there is transport to take them to the temple.

When I discussed with the students, most of them were eager to learn Tamil. Six of them wanted to take Tamil in PMR examination. 14 students just wanted to learn Tamil. According to Puan Nur Murni, Student Affairs Officer in the centre, the centre does not have allocation to pay for a Tamil class teacher. Those interested can teach voluntarily or be paid by other individuals or organizations, she said.

Recently, Dato G. Palanivel has asked one of the teachers from Kuala Kubu Bahru Tamil School to conduct Tamil classes for the students studying in the centre. I told the students that YSS will liaise with Dato G. Palanivel and make the arrangement for Tamil classes and transport to the nearby temple.

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At the end of the discussion, I gave away a cheque amounting RM 780.00 as financial assistance to one student for his study. Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu approved this financial assistance. Few more students came to see me about financial assistance. I told them that their financial status and application must be certified by the student affairs officer in the centre. Application to YSS should be made via MRSM.

In general, I was told that the Indian students at the centre do not have major problems either in their studies or behavior. Last year only one student scored below than satisfactory level in the final year examination. Puan Nor Murni has been monitoring his performance and she is also very concerned about the student’s study and welfare.

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