UNIVERSITY student bodies will now have more independence to collect funds for their activities and to discipline their members.
The Dewan Rakyat passed the Bill that proposed amendments to the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) to empower students in managing their associations’ activities and finances.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir tabled the Bill for its third reading and it was unanimously approved through a voice vote in the Dewan Rakyat here yesterday.
The amendments in the Bill addressed several sections of the UUCA.
> The amended Section 15A allows student representative councils and student bodies to collect funds and receive contributions, subject to prevailing written regulations and laws.
> Section 16B transfers the disciplinary authority from the Vice-Chancellor to the student disciplinary committee to reflect the current practice in public universities.
> Section 48(4) extends the term of office for student council members from one year to “one academic year”, in consideration of extraordinary situations like the Covid-19 pandemic.
> Section 48(11) allows the university to establish any fund or own any assets to be managed and maintained by the student representative council according to the university’s financial procedures, enabling the student representative council to open and manage accounts with any authorised financial institution.
> Section 49(2) allows the university student body to receive the same facilities as the student representative council.
In his winding-up speech, following debates by 23 MPs on the Bill, Zambry acknowledged a call by Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang) to consult the work of a ministerial-level committee formed in 2018 that was tasked with providing input for a new Act to replace the UUCA.
“I have requested for reports from the committee, which consisted of ministers and legal experts,” he said.
Earlier when tabling the proposed amendments, Zambry said the UUCA, which was enacted in 1971 and has gone through seven amendments since, is one of the most comprehensive laws in Malaysia’s history.
“The amendments covered various scopes from governance improvements to student activities and discipline.
“Although there are many views and opinions, including suggestions to abolish it and replace it with a new Act, not many fully understand the true aspirations behind the continuous improvements through amendments, especially regarding student affairs,” he said.
The latest amendment in 2019 granted students more freedom to take part in political activities on and off campus.
“The ministry believes students are now ready to shoulder greater responsibilities by granting them more freedom to carry out association activities and manage student activity finances,” he said.
Zambry said the implementation of the latest amendments will be phased, starting with the student representative council in the first year.
“If there are no issues and everything runs smoothly, the university student body will also enjoy the same facilities in the following years.”
He said the amendments will make the student empowerment agenda successful.
