Private varsities ban smoking and vaping

PETALING JAYA: Several private universities have banned vaping on their campus.

Sunway Education Group and Sunway University senior executive director Elizabeth Lee said it was prohibited in the institution and areas surrounding the campus had been designated as non-smoking zones.

“The same applies to the students’ residences,” she said, adding that the prohibition covered all forms of smoking, including cigarettes and e-cigarettes, pipes and other smoking utensils.

KDU University College Student and Alumni Centre senior manager Mitchell Liong said both its campuses in Damansara Jaya and Utropolis had always been smoke-free.

“This includes vaping and e-cigarettes, too,” said Liong.

INTI International College Subang chief executive Tan Ling Ling said the college prohibited smoking or vaping at its Subang campus.

“A similar policy is carried out in all other INTI campuses,” she added.

In a statement, Monash University Malaysia said smoking of all sorts was prohibited on its premises.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh had announced recently that e-cigarettes and tobacco smoking were banned in all 20 public universities in the country.

Higher Education Department director-general Prof Datuk Dr Asma Ismail said private colleges and universities were encouraged to ban e-cigarettes.