Free Food For Asnaf Students Throughout Examination Weeks

Kangar, 18 March – Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) will be providing free food for all the students who fall under the B40 and asnaf categories throughout the examination weeks to ensure that they are well nourished to do their revisions and to sit for their examinations. UniMAP Vice Chancellor Dato’ Prof. Dr. Zul Azhar Zahid Jamal said that the initiative which begins this semester will involve 550 students who each received a food coupon worth RM 5. “We were informed that some of these students (the B40 and the asnaf) would send the money they received from their study loans or their zakat money to their families for their daily expenses.

“The examination falls towards the end of the semester when most of these students would be almost out of money. Hence it is hoped that this initiative would help the B40 and the asnaf students to be energised for the examination,” he said in a statement.

According to Dato’ Prof. Dr. Zul Azhar, UniMAP also provides the opportunity for the students to generate income through entrepreneurial assistance that offers the Gig Economy Scheme where the students are given the assistance to do on-line business.

He added that UniMAP also provides the “Foodcart Asnaf” and entrepreneurial kiosks purposely for the students who wish to carry out food and beverages business, and offers the Self Dedication Scheme which offers part-time job for the students.

“Through these schemes, the students are allowed to work part-time at any centre or department in UniMAP up to 5 hours per day. Usually the tasks provided are based on the skills acquired by the students such as translation, video editing, slide preparation and other clerical work. Meanwhile, he said that the ‘Friendly Kafe’ wakaf programmes at 9 cafés in UniMAP which was first introduced back in 2017 as the initiative to help the students by providing free food is still being practised.

“The programme also offers opportunity for any individual or organisation to donate their money to buy food at the cafés for students who are identified as underprivileged. This endowment concept programme is also implemented by individuals, the schools and the residential colleges.

“As for UniMAP, the continuation of such programmes can help provide food to underprivileged students who need it,” he said and added that starting from the 2019/2020 semester UniMAP will provide free accommodation for 10 selected asnaf students every year.