KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Teknologi MARA's (UiTM) campus in Tawau should not be closed down, says Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan.
The Apas assemblyman said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir’s announcement that the UiTM Tawau campus was under a process of reevaluation and operational rationalisation was concerning.
Zambry had mentioned this when winding up the debate on the ministry’s 2027 budget at the committee stage in the Dewan Rakyat several days ago.
“Although the minister said this campus would not be shut down, the suggestion to rationalise operations and to allow for the use of its campus facilities as educational hubs for other institutions prompted questions over the campus’ future,” Nizam said in a statement.
He stressed that the UiTM Tawau campus must be maintained as is because the function of a campus was not just to ensure that its facilities and buildings were used for educational purposes, but to ensure that the identity of the institution remained.
“The academic functions, educational opportunities and its role to local communities must be upheld. We must remember that the UiTM Tawau campus did not materialise in a day.
“It happened following years of struggle and continued efforts from previous leaders,” Nizam said, adding that it was also due to strong government support that the campus was finally built for the benefit of Tawau folks and neighboring communities.
He said this campus gave locals in the east coast and even from other districts, the access to education and a choice to further their tertiary education close to home since 1996.
It allowed children and parents to pursue higher education at a lower cost due to the proximity to home, he explained.
Nizam said while the Minister had mentioned about the 254 students enrolled as of Sept 30 this year, the number itself should not be the sole determinant for a campus to remain or not.
It has to take into account other factors such as academic facilities including classrooms, teaching and learning amenities and the campus’ capacity to effectively cater to students, he said.
“I hope the Higher Education Ministry will give us a more detailed explanation on the basis of evaluation being used for the suggestion of rationalisation,” he said.
Nizam said it was to also make sure that the students’ needs as well as the local community’s education requirements were taken into consideration.
He believed the UiTM Tawau campus still had huge growth and development potential, including by offering a more diverse range of subjects to take up, according to current and local economic, employment and industrial needs.
“I want the Minister to make a clear guarantee that the rationalisation suggestion would not result in Tawau UiTM losing its identity, academic functions and position as UiTM campus in Sabah’s east coast,” he said.
