COLLEGE student Ahmad Muaz Zahari’s only “meal” for four straight days was teh-o that he and his housemates made when the movement-control order was first imposed on March 18.

That was all that was left in their rented house in Negri Sembilan and that was all he and his housemate could afford as the day before, they used up all their cash to buy plane tickets back to Sabah.

Muaz’s plight reflects the experience of thousands of off-campus students stranded in their rented units when the country went into partial lockdown to fight the Covid-19 outbreak.

When the movement-control order (MCO) was first announced, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government told university and college students they needed to empty their campuses and return home.

This led to thousands rushing for buses, trains and airports to find last-minute tickets.

Barely 24 hours later, Putrajaya revoked that instruction and told them to stay put on campuses.

But by then, these students had already spent their money on tickets they could no longer use and were stranded in their dorms or rented houses with little money.

“When the ministry told us we couldn’t go back home, we were left with only the tea bags in our house because we spent all our money on the flight tickets,” the 20-year-old told The Malaysian Insight.

Students living on-campus dormitories are provided with food paid for by the government but those staying off-campus, such as Muaz and his housemates, are left to fend for themselves.

“We have asked for help from our college but they themselves had limited resources to help all the stranded students,” said the business administration student.

Muaz and his housemate were eventually saved by civil society groups, which emerged after the MCO to help the poor and needy.

A mechanical engineering student from another university said he and his housemates would divide one packet of instant noodles among themselves for their daily meal.

“When we finished the Maggi packets, we rationed and divided biscuits to sustain ourselves,” said the 20-year-old who declined to be named.

“We ran out of money by the time the MCO was announced because we spent it on stationery and supplies.”

Help from the university only arrived a week after the MCO started as the institution prioritised feeding those stuck on campus first.

Out of sight, out of mind  

Akhmar Mahadher, who started a campaign to feed off-campus students, said this group has been overlooked by the government because they don’t live on the university grounds.

He his friends were collecting aid for vulnerable groups and only realised this group was overlooked after a student contacted him via Twitter.

“They come from all over the nation, from Sabah, Sarawak, Perlis and they are all stranded,” said Akhmar.

He and his friends, Fatin Noralbaniah and Adzren Adnan, are channelling cash to the affected students, many of whom are staying off-campus in areas outside the Klang Valley.

The MCO is making it hard to distribute food directly to them, said Akhmar.

“So, we give them RM50 per student to buy food supplies and they have to show receipts that they used the cash for food,” said Akhmar when contacted.

Universiti Teknologi Mara official Dian Nursyabanizam Jamaludin echoed these concerns, saying that off-campus students faced more hardships during the MCO as they also have to pay rent and utilities.

“Ever since the MCO started, UiTM has delivered supplies to 1,400 of our students who live off-campus,” said the deputy manager for off-campus students.

These 1,400 are those who could not return home and they include those from Sabah and Sarawak, said Dian Nursyabanizam.

Although Muaz and his housemates now have enough food, they are still worried about other expenses, such as the rent.

“We pay RM600 per month and I share the cost with my other housemates. Before the MCO, I worked part time for extra cash but now since everything’s shutdown, my income has been affected. So, I am still worried.” – April 2, 2020.