From left: Nor Fasha Natashya, Crisnanalina, Kasim and Mohd Rashid. – Bernama photo
KOTA KINABALU (Oct 14): Crisnanalina Jumis, 20, and Nor Fasha Natashya Abdul Rahim, 19, will not have to postpone their dream of becoming university students due to poverty.
The daughter of a rubber tapper and a housewife, Crisnanalina, said she did not think she had a good chance to continue with her tertiary education.
“I was about to reject the offer and I was planning on continuing to work,” said the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) student from Paitan, Beluran.
She added that she acquired a job at a restaurant.
The eldest of five siblings said she was grateful to have received financial help that made it possible for her to continue her studies.
On Monday, she joined the Tropical Forest Faculty of UMS.
Nor Fasha Natashya, who hails from Tawau, said she is the first in her family to enter a university.
“I have eight siblings. I am the fourth child. My three elder brothers did not continue their studies,” she said.
She added that the reason was poverty.
She was offered to study medicine at UMS recently, and she said she wanted to reject the offer as she wanted to spend a year working and raise funds to pay for her studies.
“I don’t think I could pay for the medical course which is a quite expensive,” she said.
Nor Fasha Natashya also said that she only planned to postpone her studies, and not forgo it entirely.
She added that she was grateful for the help rendered to her.
“My mother is unemployed and our family is dependent on welfare help from the government. My father has passed away,” she said.
Meanwhile, UMS vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor, when receiving the two students, said that his officers personally travelled to fetch the two of them.
He said his officer flew to Tawau to accompany Nor Fasha Natashya to UMS, and another went to Paitan for Crisnanalina.
“It would be a pity for our children to not have the opportunity due to financial constraints,” he said.
He added that UMS had provided assistance to the students and hope the information would be made available to other students who excelled in their studies in Sabah but were facing financial difficulties that UMS is open to them.
“We are open to excellent students to come here,” he said.
Sabah Head of State Liaison Secretary Datuk Mohd Rashid Mohd Tahir presented Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin’s personal assistance to Crisnanalina and Nor Fasha Natashya.
Mohd Rashid said that the Head of State learned about the students’ plight in the newspaper and had instructed him to contact UMS to help them.
The two students each received a laptop and financial help.
