NEWS

Forum: Free Education Is Our Rights !

SHAH ALAM: On the 15th of March, University of Selangor (Unisel) held a forum on Free Education. The panels include Bawani, Adam Adli, and Muhd Kamil along with Wan Farel as the moderator. The Forum started at around 9:00pm and ended at 10:40pm.

Bawani first pointed out that we should support free education because it is our rights as citizens. Moreover, education today is sold rather than earned. Adam Adli then added that the effort to claim our rights for free education is a "social responsibility" which means it is everybody's responsibility.

However, the question many people have been wondering is that what are the effects of getting free education? Will the quality of universities drop because students no longer appreciate education? Muhd Kamil took his turn to answer this question. He started by pointing out that "it's not that Malaysia has never had free education, they did in the 40s and back then, there were no problem. The only problem were the politics and the critics trying to avoid free education because they see that free education is becoming successful." He then pointed out that Greece and Turkey are doing just fine with free education. To make his point even more firmer, he added, "Is our education system already so successful?" After the crowd responded a "No!" to his question, he then added, "Our education is paid but it is becoming worse. Where is our rankings in terms of education? We must free education from politics!"

Another issue of free education a lot of people have been worried about is what will happen with the PTPTN money? Bawani said, "PTPTN money can be used for daily expenses. The problem we have to realize is that  education today is business. For example, how many IPTA are there? 21. How many IPTS are there today? So many. Furthermore, most of the IPTS today are owned by the riches people in Malaysia. UTAR, Dato' Seri Najib himself owns it. In UNITAR, to get 1 diploma already costs RM 60,000. Masterskill is owned by the son of Sultan Perak. So, the money is not really the problem."

Unisel 7th Convocation

  

On 9 Mac 2013, Unisel's 7th convocation were held. There were plenty of graduating seniors and their parents at the ceremony. Seniors seemed excited and happy that they were finally graduating the ceremony and many juniors came to visit them as well to congratulate them. It was certainly a colorful and magnificent day

It started around 10.00 am and lasted till evening. Unfortunately for those juniors who came to visit their seniors were unable to enter the main hall to watch them get their precious certificate as only parents and the person who will graduate. The ceremony lasted for hours and since the weather was good, indeed it was a perfect day for the ceremony to be held out.

After the ceremony was done, the graduates seemed happy and some shed tears of happiness and it is not a surprise that they did. The juniors and parents shot pictures together celebrating and sharing the joy. Some were carrying bouquet of flowers and some were carrying bouquet of small tiny teddy bears.

Since the ceremony was only for several faculties,it was not that grand of a ceremony but it was no less cheerful and joyful of those of a normal graduating ceremony. The joy,happiness,smile were clearly seen on the face of those graduates, even on the face of those who were crying. Indeed it was quite sad as well since some are probably seeing each other for the last time.

Well, at evening the ceremony reached it's end and many were heading home with their graduate clothes on and after probably several hundreds of picture snapped. he juniors wished farewell and good luck to them and the number decreased as the time passed by.