Call For Students Going To Egypt To Be Vetted. Is This Practical?

The Malaysian Students Department in Egypt wants students sent for studies in the country to be vetted carefully to prevent any untoward incidents later, reports Bernama.

Its director Dr Mohd Fakhrudin Abdul Mukti said the vetting was needed to ensure students going there were physically and mentally healthy.

"Malaysian students already in Egypt should also liaise with us and inform the department of problems relating to their health or safety," he told reporters after attending the funeral of student Mohammad Ishak at the Kampung Laut Muslim cemetery in Chendering here today.

Mohammad, 22, a first-year Usuluddin student at the Al-Azhar University was stabbed by a varsity mate in Cairo on Thursday.

The body arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 9.10pm yesterday and was brought back to his family home in Kampung Rajawali here at 7.15am today for burial.

Dr Mohd Fakhruddin and the victim's brother, Hassan Ishak, 28, accompanied the body from Kuala Lumpur.

Among those present at the funeral were Terengganu State Assembly Speaker Datuk Che Mat Jusoh and Terengganu Foundation principal assistant director (Sponsorships), Abd Razak Mohamad.

As to the stabbing incident, Dr Mohd Fakhrudin said the motive had yet to be ascertained although a fellow Malaysian student had admitted committing the act.

Meanwhile, the victim's father, Ishak Abdul Rahman, 63, said he had no hard-feelings against the family of the student who stabbed his son. "They too must be in the dark as to what actually happened there (in Egypt)," he added.

***** The suggestion by the MSD director in Egypt seems more like a knee-jerk reaction to the murder of a Malaysian student there. We simply cannot on the basis of one incident put restraints on the flow of students to Egypt. There have been similar tragedies in other places too which have involved our countrymen. Are we therefore to vet every single student who aspires to study abroad?

Sometimes the pressures of university exams, the surroundings and environment at the educational facility as well as personal problems, inter-personal relationships and the psychological make-up of an individual can cause a 'normal' person to 'snap' without warning. There is no way we can realistically predict or anticipate the outcome.

As long as students are subjected to great stress especially in educational institutions which practise outmoded pedagogical methods, this sort of tragedy is sure to take place. Therefore it is better to vet the colleges where they study and ensure that these educational establishments are conducive to proper learning.

'Vetting' students, if at all found practical and approved by the authorities, should be confined to government scholars as public funds are involved. Otherwise no one should be deprived of the opportunity to realize their ambition. Tragedies like the one in Egypt are bound to occur with or without vetting.
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