Over 3,000 UiTM Sabah Students Benefit From "Dapur HEP"

KUALA LUMPUR,  July 15 (Bernama) -- More than 3,000 students of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM),  Kota Kinabalu Campus in Sabah, have benefited from the “Dapur Hal Ehwal Pelajar” (Dapur HEP) initiative, which provides free daily meals to students in need.

In a Facebook post today, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the programme was introduced to help ease students’ cost of living, particularly those from the B40 group, while fostering a spirit of mutual care and support among university staff.

"I managed to stop by the UiTM Sabah HEP Kitchen at the Kota Kinabalu Campus, where about 60 kilogrammes of rice are cooked daily and distributed to over 3,000 students.

"All the cooking and food packaging is done entirely by students and university staff, usually under the supervision of the Student Affairs Division (HEP)," he said in the post.

Zambry said the implementation of the programme received strong support from university staff, alumni, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government agencies, the corporate sector, university funds and even contributions from the students themselves.

He also congratulated UiTM and other higher learning institutions (IPTs) for running similar initiatives and urged that such a programme be expanded so that no student is left to study on an empty stomach.

“This is an example of a very meaningful welfare effort that deserves to be broadened. We cannot allow any student to endure hardship to the point of going hungry, especially when it risks affecting their focus and academic performance,” he said.

-- BERNAMA