FROM this year, students who receive an offer to study overseas must apply for a travel pass from the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM).
Based on this new requirement, which took effect on May 17, all new students travelling abroad must apply through the department’s MyTravelPass system.
While new students are required to upload their offer letter on the MyTravelPass system, existing students are required to show their student cards at immigration counters at the point of exit.
This new layer of red tape is no doubt frustrating, as it means that more time and money will be wasted in the effort to fulfil the terms and conditions of the new – and not to mention, very sudden – change in policy.
In this case, the lack of detailed information available on the Immigration Department’s website is also a source of many parents’ grievance. For those operating on a tight timeline, these information is indeed crucial.
With plane tickets to purchase, the quarantine duration in the destination country to consider, and student accommodation to plan, the lack of detailed information poses as an unnecessary stumbling block that needs to be rectified as soon as possible.
But this isn’t the only ‘roadblock’. According to news reports, a private university with campuses around Malaysia said that they have yet to receive a notice from the Immigration Department about this new ruling.
Shouldn’t all information be sent out to all institutions of higher learning on the day the directive went live, which is on May 17? More importantly, shouldn’t clear and detailed information already be made available from day one to avoid confusion?
While Malaysian bureaucracy being inefficient doesn’t come as much of a surprise anymore, it is quite disheartening to know that half-baked rules and regulations are still very much the norm in the country.
As a result, these rulings seem hastily – and sloppily – put together, with bits and pieces of additional information added along the way. This should never be the case, and it’s high time that the powers that be sit up and take notice.
Any new ruling or standard operating procedure (SOP) should always be accompanied by an efficient delivery and execution system, or else an already slow and overloaded Government service system is only bound to get worse. – May 30, 2021
Photo credit: The Star
