By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Apr 3: The federal government will assist Malaysian students under sponsorship programme stuck abroad by the Covid-19 pandemic with flights cancelled and borders closed.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government had agreed to provide assistance for their accommodation as well as daily food and other essentials through their sponsors like Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), Public Service Department (PSD) and Petronas.
“The government has agreed, that through their sponsors like Mara, PSD, KPD and Petronas, to assist these students stranded overseas as they were unable to come home.
“The assistance will cover their accommodation as well as daily food and essentials. So parents don’t have to be worried,” he told a press conference on Movement Control Order (MCO) in Putrajaya today.
Sabri acknowledged that parents had complained that their children studying overseas but who have graduated were unable to come home due to travel restrictions amid Covid-19.
“We know many parents are concerned as they could not afford to support their children who are supposed to come home upon graduation,” he added.
However, Sabri reiterated his advice for students currently overseas to remain in the countries as this unprecedented public health crisis had caused serious travel disruptions, especially air travel.
“Those stranded in Egypt will be brought home via Brunei as well as a few other countries, we are working on it. So there are no issues that they cannot come back.
“But students in the UK and United States may be unable to due to the restrictions imposed by the countries. So our advice is for them to stay put but if they managedto return, they will be sent straight to the government quarantine centres for 14 days,” he said.—DayakDaily
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