SHAH ALAM - The Universiti Malaya Student Union (KMUM) has condemned the implementation of the Zero Balance Policy, which requires students to pay their full registration fee, ranging from RM1,000 to RM20,000, before they can register for courses and modules in the coming semester.
KMUM said in a statement that the policy oppresses students' rights and is unfair.
They believe that the policy should be eliminated immediately.
"Although this policy is aimed at collecting student debt, the Union believes that this policy oppresses students' rights, which is unfair, and should be eliminated immediately.
"Policy changes without any notice affect students, especially those who come from low-income backgrounds and do not have stability in financial resources.
"It is impossible for students to collect a large amount of money in a short period of time," the union said which sponsors 68 university student associations in a statement yesterday.
KMUM also made an appeal petition protesting the policy on the change.org website since Sept 15 and managed to collect 4,531 supporters as of 11am today.
KMUM added that the university administration had introduced the same policy last year without prior notice, but finally agreed to loose the policy following student protests.
"The same mistake being repeated without prior notice shows the fact that the administration does not respect student autonomy.
"So the union demands the university to abolish the zero balance policy forever and improve the Sistem MAYA online portal," he said.