‘Time to let students get involved in activism’

Study shows that students engaging in some form of activism end up doing better academically.

PETALING JAYA: An education group says Malaysian students should be encouraged to engage in activism, following the release of a study which highlighted how young people benefit from taking up a cause.

The study by researchers from the Wake Forest School of Medicine, Fordham University and the University of Massachusetts found that young adults who voted, volunteered or engaged in activism ended up doing better in school and earning higher incomes than those who didn’t push for political or social change.

The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) said it was important for students to get involved in activism, to speak their minds and share their ideas on national issues.

PAGE chairperson Noor Azimah Rahim

“When students speak up, they shouldn’t be criticised. Authorities shouldn’t throw the book at students. Instead, try reasoning and discussing issues in an open manner,” PAGE chairman Noor Azimah Rahim told FMT.

She added, however, that students must understand the limits and consequences of being an activist and that they shouldn’t forget that their priority was still their studies.

“At a university level, especially, I think we should allow students to get involved with political and civil society movements. Of course, students must learn to balance their activism with their studies.

“The same goes for adults. Adults can get involved in politics, but this shouldn’t get in the way of their work or responsibilities when it comes to their family.”

Although youths could sometimes be seen as lacking in maturity, Azimah said, involving themselves in activism could provide them with the right kind of exposure, especially from veteran activists.

Meanwhile, University of Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) president Tan Jia You said although the research was US-based, it still raised valid arguments and points that could be applied in Malaysia.

Umany president Tan Jia You

“It is unhealthy to stop youngsters from being attentive to what is happening in the country, and you can see this in many students who don’t know much about national issues.”

But Tan said the Universities and University College Act, better known as UUCA, had allowed the authorities to control students and decide what they could or could not do.

The UUCA has often been criticised for deterring university students from joining political activities.

“The UUCA is holding back university students from fulfilling their intellectual potential. We students should be giving back to society, from an academic standpoint as well as in contributing fresh ideas to help the country.

“A university should be a place where students are free to express themselves, and I don’t believe there should be any limit to what we are allowed to speak on.”

Tan and his fellow Umany members landed in trouble after disrupting a 1MDB town hall meeting on their campus two years ago. However, last month, the Kuala Lumpur High Court quashed the UM disciplinary committee’s decision to punish them. -FMT