KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has requested the state utility company to treat the university like other critical institutions.
Its vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor, said that with more than 20,000 students on campus, the Sabah Water department could only provide up to 2 million litres per day which is less than the demand.
"When considering accessibility to quality education, these challenges (related to water shortage) arise.
"I hope that the Sabah Water department will regard UMS as equivalent to hospitals and other critical services.
"Our primary responsibility is to provide quality education and facilities for our students," he stated during the Sabah SDG Malaysia summit at the Sabah International Convention Centre here yesterday.
He was one of the panelists for a plenary session titled "Ensuring Access to Quality Education in Sabah". The other two panelists were Pacos Trust executive director Anne Lasimbang and UiTM Sabah rector Professor Madya Dr Rozita @Uji Mohammed.
Sabah Institute for Development Studies Chief Executive Officer Datuk Dr Ramzah Dambul moderated the one-hour session.
Kasim said besides water, other factors hindering quality education include geographical challenges, teacher shortages, socioeconomic issues, and technology integration, among others.
"Poor accessibility to education was an issue for me when I was in Primary 1. Unfortunately, these challenges still persist today," said the 63-year-old academician.
Kasim added that since the inception of UMS three decades ago, the fully-fledged university has produced 84,000 graduates, with 60 per cent being people of Sabah.
He said the university has been offering assistance to hundreds of students, especially those in the bottom 40 household income category, under its annual Meniti programme to ensure more people, especially from rural areas, can pursue tertiary studies.
The Higher Education ministry also provides assistance under the Sulung Program for the same purpose.
"Our medical and health faculty is also offering 10 seats with scholarships for students from rural areas, especially in Kudat, which is one of the poorest districts in Sabah, with the aim of producing specialists," he added.