Uggah: Unimas will handle logistical task of returning students to hometowns in Sarawak

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KUCHING: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) has been tasked with managing the transportation of students from all public and private higher learning institutions in Sarawak to help them return to their hometowns starting April 29, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

“For local students from public and private higher learning institutions in the state, the Ministry of Higher Education has tasked Unimas to manage their (students) transport.

“We have discussed this with them and they will leave on April 29 or 30,” Uggah said during a press conference after chairing the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) meeting today.

This is in line with the return of some 7,000 Sarawakian students from the peninsula beginning May 1 later, as announced by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob this afternoon.

Uggah said while the Sarawakian students in the peninsula will be transported at night, students in Sarawak will be transported during the day.

“In West Malaysia, the buses (transporting the students) will be traveling at nite. In Sarawak, due to our road condition, the buses will travel during the day.

“We were informed that there will be buses transporting them to various locations and districts, and from there they will go back to their hometowns,” he said.

Unimas Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi in his Facebook post today said Unimas had been given a logistical task to coordinate the transportation of students from higher learning institutions all over Sarawak, following approval from the government.

“A rather daunting logistical task given the geography and size of Sarawak, and Unimas’ role as the main coordinator for Sarawak zone.

“The National Security Council has issued strict guidelines for the movement and need to discuss with colleagues on the most efficient and optimum ways to help students return to their loved ones.

“Students need to exercise patience and be calm while waiting for their turns to return home. It has to be done in stages while complying to MCO requirements,” he said.

Ismail Sabri earlier said students from Sarawak and Sabah will be sent home through eight airports from May 1, 2020.

“They will be flown to the airport nearest to their respective hometowns,” he said during his daily press conference on the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Putrajaya.

Ismail Sabri stressed that only one family member would be allowed to pick up the students at the drop-off point.

For students whose family member could not pick them up, he said frontliners at the district level would be tasked to send them home.