Curtin Malaysia students continue to benefit from Curtin Cares initiative for Covid-19 support

Miri – 21 August 2020 – More students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia), the largest international campus of Curtin University, have benefitted from Curtin Cares, Curtin’s fundraising initiative to provide much-needed assistance to student at its campuses in Western Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Mauritius who are experiencing hardship during these challenging times.

The assistance, in the form of bursaries from the main campus in Perth, amounted to AUD$128,000 (approximately RM375,300) and went to 134 Curtin Malaysia students who applied for it in the first semester of 2020.

Over 300 applications for the second semester are being assessed and payments will commence in September.

Launched in May this year, Curtin Cares was intended to provide assistance to core sections of the community in Western Australia, such as students, healthcare practitioners and teachers, who are experiencing financial hardship or require much-needed resources.

Through Curtin Cares, the University has invited donors, both large and small, to partner with it in delivering aid to the three core groups. The donors have included a significant number of staff who saw the need to help those in the Curtin community, particularly students, who have fallen on hard times due to the pandemic.

The campaign was soon extended to those at Curtin’s global campuses, particularly students, who were also in need of assistance due to the impacts of lockdowns and other restrictions imposed by their respective governments, including the necessity to return to their hometowns and home countries to continue online learning.

Curtin Malaysia Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Leunig said the Curtin Cares campaign builds on Curtin’s existing commitment to student support measures to help those in need through the crisis and assist them in preparing for the future.

“As bridges to the future we need to ensure our students continue learning without the spectre of financial stress and hardship,” he said.

“Curtin Cares is a true reflection of our University’s ethos, values and the legacy of its namesake. In 1932, Australian Prime Minister John Curtin said that a university ‘should find its heroes in the present; its hopes in the future’. His words ring truer than ever in this time of COVID-19.

“Through Curtin Cares, the University hopes to not only deliver support for those in need right now, but to empower, enable and inspire them for the future,” Professor Leunig added.

In Malaysia, students who apply for the assistance receive anywhere from RM700 to RM4,500 according to their needs. In total, over 2,000 students across all the Curtin campuses in Western Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Mauritius have received assistance.

Professor Leunig said the wellbeing of its students has been the top priority of Curtin Malaysia since the outbreak of the pandemic, from ensuring that effective student learning continued in online mode to giving students in need appropriate assistance and resources to continue their studies unhindered.

 He related how, when the pandemic first broke out, university staff worked closely with the Ministry of Higher Education to ensure the students were adequately fed, and that all Malaysian students received their automatic one-off cash entitlements from the government. When restrictions on student movement were lifted, efforts were made to help students get home safely.

Curtin Malaysia also extended a special 10 per cent discount on course fees for students re-enrolling for the second semester this year, which was applicable to both self-funded domestic and international students and students holding approved government study loans and partial scholarships.

“We appreciate that our students care enough about their education to make significant sacrifices to obtain a university degree, and we’re honoured to have them. We will continue to support them the best we can in these difficult times, enabling them to weather COVID-19, complete their courses, and join the workforce as tomorrow’s graduates,” Professor Leunig concluded.

For more information on Curtin Malaysia, visit curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Curtin Cares campaign provides much-needed assistance and resources for Curtin students across all its global campuses.