Gabungan Patriotisme dan Perpaduan Kebangsaan (GPPK), comprising over 60 member NGOs, applauds the long-overdue announcement by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that now gives hope to all poor students nationwide.
His instruction to all public universities in the country to not refuse the admission of students who cannot pay fees because they are poor is truly a most welcomed reform for the country’s good future.
GPPK has always maintained that students from poor families must also get to pursue higher education as money, status, influence and affordability should never be the standards to qualify for admissions.
Indeed this is the first time in our nation’s history where “no children of ours anywhere, from any race, who are poor and cannot afford, can be refused admission to university,” as was appropriately spelled out by Anwar.
And for that, we must give credit to the “unity government” under the PM’s leadership.
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On that note, GPPK hopes the little Napoleons who may be operating in public universities do not jeopardise such courageous efforts to jump start the reforming of our education policies and systems.
Parents must not hesitate to report any abuse of the instructions from the PM. GPPK will, through its member NGOs, monitor the ground for any such failures to abide by this long-awaited reform.
GPPK joins tens of thousands of parents who can breathe relief at this good news from the PM.
We encourage students – especially from poor families to seize this opportunity and excel in their studies.
Education liberates the hard-pressed. Education multiplies the nation’s human capital. Affordability issues governing admission into universities therefore will henceforth never hold our nation to ransom.
Stanley Yong is deputy chairman of Gabungan Patriotisme dan Perpaduan Kebangsaan
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
