LUMUT: There is currently no urgent need to evacuate Malaysian students in Saudi Arabia, but close monitoring is being carried out following yesterday's attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, says Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
The Higher Education Minister said monitoring was being conducted in several areas, particularly Madinah and Makkah, to prevent any risks that could threaten the students' safety.
"The crisis in the Middle East has been ongoing for the past seven months. At present, there is no need for an evacuation, but we will work closely with the Foreign Ministry to obtain the latest information from time to time," he said.
He was speaking to reporters after officiating the Targeted Higher Education Assistance Programme at Dewan Mohd Anwar, TVETMARA, here Sunday (Oct 11).
On Saturday (Oct 10), the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that 12 people were killed and 309 injured in the attack at King Khalid International Airport.
The fatalities comprised four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis, and one each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan.
On the programme, Zambry said RM200,000 had been allocated to 400 selected students from low-income families to help reduce their education costs.
He said the assistance, channelled through Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), covered students at public universities, teacher education institutes (IPGs), matriculation colleges, polytechnics and other institutions.
"Each student receives RM500, distributed in stages to ensure the assistance is fully utilised for matters related to their studies," he said.
He hoped the assistance would help students continue their studies smoothly and ease their families' financial burden, particularly those with many dependants. - Bernama
