PUTRAJAYA: Tertiary students at public higher education institutions affected by the floods are receiving aid, according to Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
The Higher Education Minister stated that assistance includes food baskets and transport provided through the respective universities.
"We are working together with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi," he said after the closing ceremony for the Putrajaya Festival of Ideas (Putrajaya FOI) on Friday (Nov 29).
He also mentioned that hotlines have been established within the universities to assist students, along with volunteer teams.
Zambry noted that affected universities include Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan.
He added that so far, 3,029 students are affected by the floods, mostly at public universities along the east coast.
Of these, 481 students were evacuated to temporary evacuation centres (PPS) on-campus, while another 42 are at PPS off-campus.
On another note, Zambry announced that a special Cabinet committee will be established to organise and run the Putrajaya FOI, which will become an annual event.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made the decision at the last Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet committee will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi beginning next year, he added.
"This committee will allow coordination between various ministries and agencies," he said, adding that this will lead to better organisation.
"This signals that this festival will be a big event in the country," he said.
Zambry also reported that over 100,000 visitors attended the festival over the past three days.
Among the attendees were Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who attended a talk on mental health, and Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, who attended a discussion on food security.
He expressed hope that the ideas discussed during the festival will be implemented in the future.
