UNIVERSITI Teknologi Mara (UiTM) vice-chancellor Sahib Sahibuddin denied yesterday that the students in black on campus were protesting the admission of non-Bumiputera into the university.

He said the students were wearing black as an expression of their identity and not as a form of protest.

“To me, this is not a protest because if we want to protest, it has to be against a decision. But no decision has been made.

“The Student Representative Council (MPP) itself says it is not a protest and I think it is the students’ way of expressing their identity as UiTM students,” Sahib said.

On May 15, the MPP called on students to wear black to protest a proposal to open the university’s parallel pathway cardiologist technical training programme to non-Bumiputera medical officers.

The council also asked students to post the placard #MahasiswaUiTMBantah on social media as a sign of opposition.

“The objective of the establishment of UiTM is to ensure that Bumiputera who are less able to gain access to higher education.

“We unanimously ask that UiTM sticks with its original objective, which is to protect and advance Bumiputera students,” it said.

UiTM, in collaboration with the National Heart Institute, is the only university that offers a parallel pathway programme in cardiothoracic surgery.

Sahib was speaking yesterday after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between UiTM and Ohio University.

On why UiTM was accepting foreign students but not local non-Bumiputera students, Sahib said the university must have income.

“Our approach ensures that these students contribute because we charge them full fees… if the government were to fully fund UiTM, there would be no need to take them in.”

Sahib said UiTM has about 1,600 international postgraduate students.

He said this was in line with the national higher education strategic development plan to ensure public universities are not fully dependent on public funds.

On Saturday, Umno Youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh waded into the fray, saying no party should insist that UiTM accept non-Bumiputera students.

“Don’t disturb UiTM. UiTM will always belong to the Bumiputera, now and forever,” he said . – May 20, 2024.