Most UMK int'l students choose to stay put over flying home

Thirty out of 48 international students at the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) decided to remain on campus during the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO).

They are from 18 countries including Indonesia, Senegal and India, and are currently pursuing degrees at various levels.

Speaking to reporters here today, some of these students said they chose not to return to their home countries for fear of Covid-19 infection.

They also said that the university management and the Malaysian government had taken good care of them since the MCO came into effect on March 18.

“Of course I miss my family, but rather than risking my life going back to India and get infected with the disease, I would rather stay here on campus,” said Sanjay Kumar, a 37-year-old PhD student at the Faculty of Agro-based Industry.

Sanjay also said he utilised time on campus to prepare for his research papers.

A Senegalese, Samsidine Aidara, 33, who is pursuing her Master's degree in entrepreneurship and business at the Jeli campus, said students were given assignments and quizzes via online classrooms.

The part-timer French language teacher at the university said she also utilised video calls to keep in touch with her coursemates and lecturers.

For Ainnur Shahirah Hashim, 21, of Indonesia, she chose to remain on campus with her friends.

“I hope everyone would stay put on campuses and support the Malaysian government’s effort to fight the spread of the Covid-19 infection,” said the student who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship and business.

It was previously reported that over 80,000 higher education students remain on campuses nationwide during the implementation of MCO.

- Bernama