Malaysian students in Egypt to receive assistance

Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, Higher Education Minister, announced on Friday, the launch of an education fund to aid Malaysian students in financial distress in Egypt.

The Ministry of Higher Education on Friday launched a new initiative to help students who need financial assistance to complete their studies in Egypt after reports indicated that many students are at risk of having their studies terminated.

According to Idris, the education fund set up to help students in Egypt who excelled in their studies is funded through contributions received in collaboration with the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS) and the Ministry of Higher Education.

Various media reports last month indicated that many Malaysian students in Egypt face possible dismissal from as many as eight Egyptian universities due to unsettled tuition fees, which has accumulated to some RM4.5 million.

According to GPMS, more than 660 students in the fields of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy in Egypt need financial aid to complete their studies. This number was obtained through an official visit to Egypt by Zambri Mohd Isa, the president of GPMS. The visit indicated that the unsettled payment can add up to RM21 million, with an average cost of RM33,000 per year.

GPMS will assess the situation thoroughly before distributing the funds to students. Each student's financial case will be assessed separately to understand why certain individuals failed to fulfil their financial obligations.

Students seeking assistance are urged to apply through the GPMS website. Additionally, the organisation is inviting the public to donate to the fund through various financial institutions.

Authorities noted last month that many of these students are trapped in this conundrum partially because of registering to study in Egypt through unauthorised agents who have not been approved or endorsed by the Malaysian authorities. The issue of these agent is yet to be addressed and their fate remains uncertain.