PENANG, 28 October 2015 - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is planning and taking all the necessary steps in facing reduced allocations from the recently-announced National Budget 2016, including campus-wide austerity measures involving the students, the continuing educational activities, raising productivity and other appropriate income-generating measures.

According to the USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato' Dr. Omar Osman, the university has planned for the necessary steps to be taken in facing the situation, including finding new ways to generate revenue and ensuring that such steps can be sustained without needing to increase the tuition fees of the undergraduate students.

"The public especially students need not worry about the rumours on the increase in tuition fees for the undergraduates, as the fees would not be raised," said Omar.

He explained, USM has implemented the expenditure and cost rationalisation effectiveness programme in stages for the past few years in efforts to raise its productivity.

"Our main focus too was to generate income through partnerships and research collaborations with external agencies especially those at the international level, strengthening the commercialisation efforts of products from research and innovation activities and to encourage the whole USM community to be smart and creative at work, while being frugal and to avoid wastage," said Omar further.

Other steps taken include the reduction in the use of energy and utilities such as water, electricity, and other means of communications among them, reduction in travelling and flight expenditures by giving priority to online bookings, overtime payment cuts, giving emphasis on sustainable management (reduction in the usage of paper, virtual meetings as well as electronic means of communication via emails), organising on-campus courses and training programmes and applying a more effective procurement management practice.

"USM would also be doubling its efforts towards income-generation by having additional enrolments of international students and offering offshore programmes at foreign locations, improvements in investment policies by maximizing profit and minimising risks, increasing its income through its subsidiary Usains Holding and optimising the use of existing facilities available at all the USM campuses, while ensuring an increase in its endowment fund and contributions made to Yayasan USM (USM Foundation)," added the Vice-Chancellor further.

Currently, USM offers the Medical Sciences programme in India and an offshore distance education programme in Indonesia.

"The university has always advocated the need for sustainability in its finances through energy-saving measures and having facilities with low energy usage by continually utilising various mechanisms," Omar said.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin

Text: Mohamad Abdullah