| Universiti Putra Malaysia

7,700 UPM students to return to campus

By: Noor Eszereen Juferi
Photo by: Mohammad Izrul Abdul Jabar

 

 

SERDANG, March 4 – A total of 6,500 Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) students are expected to return to the Serdang campus and another 1,200 students at the Bintulu campus, Sarawak, to participate in the hybrid teaching and learning (PdP) sessions beginning March 1, 2021.

UPM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Prof. Dr. Arifin Abdu, said the management of student admissions to residential colleges would be done according to zones, dates and sessions beginning from March 4, 2021 to March 31, 2021.

"Students are required to fill in the Admission to UPM Residential College for Students during the Movement Control Order questionnaire via the link: https://forms.gle/bsQfZyVX6nxCryBT9 one day before the date of admission to the residential college," he said.

Students are also required to complete the UPM COVID-19 Risk Assessment via the URL address: https://ertcovid19.upm.edu.my on the day of admission to the residential college by showing the results to the security personnel.

“The UPM COVID-19 Risk Assessment is also compulsory for students to complete daily throughout their stay at the residential colleges. Among other measures taken to ensure the students are healthy is to place the healthy students in a room that accommodates only one or two students as part of the monitoring process, while unwell students will be referred directly to the University Health Center (PKU) for further monitoring and care," he said.

Meanwhile, the students welcomed the registration process by adhering to the standard operating procedure (SOP) and were happy to return to campus after one semester of online learning.

Bachelor of Science in Plantation Management student, Faculty of Agriculture, Mohamad Fahmi Abdullah, said the registration process for his admission went smoothly and easily as the staff assisted him.

"This is my first time arriving at the Serdang campus, UPM, and I am ready to face the new norm of learning on campus," he said.

He was previously a student at the UPM Bintulu Campus and hoped that the lecturers would be able to conduct field teaching according to the given SOP.

"As a student in the field of plantation management, I feel the need for practical training at the plantation to strengthen my understanding through the hands-on method," he said.

Azlin Syafini Salleh, Bachelor of Science in Aquaculture student, Faculty of Agriculture, said she was excited to return to campus after a semester of studying online.

"I admit that the teaching and learning process in the new norm is quite challenging; I am excited to meet my classmates face-to-face to do our revisions together," she said.

During this round of student admissions, parents are only allowed to drop off their children at the residential colleges assigned by the university.

A father, Nor Johan Mohd Yunus, said the student registration process that was conducted according to the new norm was good, and he was satisfied with the staff who gave instructions that were easy to follow.

“Society must accept the new norms of life, and we must follow the SOP for the safety of our children and those around us. I hope my child follows the SOP set by the university and succeeds in studies,” he said.

One mother, Noorma Sidik, said she accepted the SOP set by the university positively, and she was happy that her child was able to return to campus to continue studies.

"I am thankful that my child was able to return to campus because I see that it is not easy to study online as the Internet access in the village is sometimes unsatisfactory," she said. - UPM

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