Education
Free money for textbooks
1Malaysia book vouchers are a relief for students
By Oliver Majaham
Pictures by Ille Tugimin
The money for each student may not seem much. But for university students like Chan Chee Kiong, 23, 200 ringgit ($64) goes to pay about half the cost of his textbooks for one semester. He is one of 15,969 students of the Universiti Malaysia-Sabah (UMS) who get 1Malaysia book vouchers. They cost the government about 3.2m ringgit. Nationwide, the Malaysian government is spending 260m ringgit to give academic textbook subsidies to 1.3m students in form 6, colleges and universities.
The vouchers are good for buying textbooks and academic magazines from any bookshop and they have to be used by the end of March, according to Kamaruzaman Ampon, the UMS vice chancellor. They cannot be exchanged for cash. Part-time students of diploma and degree courses are also given this subsidy.
Chan, a final year international business student, says the subsidy is certainly welcome when his new semester starts in February.
“I really appreciate the government kind gesture although it is not enough to pay for all my books,” he says. Chan spends about 1,000 ringgit on books for two semesters.
Nurzeehanis Ismail, 21, a second year student of food science and nutrients, says she bought some used books because new ones are expensive. “But some second hand books are not ideal because they are outdated,” she says. “A new book costs about 150 ringgit.” So now she can buy one. – Insight Sabah
Posted on 13-01-2012 03:26 pm
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Prime Minister Najib Razak speaking at the open day of the Sabah Development Corridor in Kota Kinabalu on February 16.