Some Um Students Not Paying Fees Though Able To Says Minister

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Last month, UM said the zero balance policy would only affect students who did not update their sponsorship status, were in receipt of education aid, or genuinely required financial assistance.PETALING JAYA: Higher education minister Khaled Nordin has again come to the defence of Universiti Malaya’s (UM) “zero balance” policy which requires students to settle their fees in full to activate their status for new course registration.
Khaled said the university believed the implementation of the policy was necessary as there were some students who were financially capable of paying their fees but were intentionally not doing so.
“In 2021, UM students’ debt went up by RM10.21 million to RM37.34 million. This has surged to RM51.2 million as of June 2023.
“This is a very large amount considering the decrease in management grants and other revenue, including revenue from tuition fees, and the increase in operational costs.
“If no intervention is carried out, students’ debt will only continue to increase and this could affect the university’s operations,” he said in a Dewan Rakyat reply.
The minister added that this policy would only affect 1,181 students, or 3.97% of the total number of students.
He also said this policy would be implemented with “good judgment and discretion”, promising that students who failed to pay their fees in full would not face action immediately.
“Conversely, this policy targets those who have been classified as ‘habitual debtors’. This is defined as individuals who have failed to fulfil their financial obligations to the university after two consecutive reminders.”
Khaled reiterated that sponsored students could register for their new semester but it was their responsibility to ensure their sponsors paid the fees on time.
He was replying to a question from Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran) who asked about the objective and impact of the policy, expressing concern it could affect the studies of UM students from the B40 group.
Last month, UM said the policy would only affect students who did not update their sponsorship status, were in receipt of education aid, or genuinely required financial assistance.
It also said the student affairs division would consider any appeal for financial assistance, subject to eligibility.
However, the UM Students’ Union said the university must abolish its zero balance policy, adding that the bigger issue was UM’s management had failed to inform students of this change in policy beforehand, catching many off guard. - FMT

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