The International Student in Malaysia

The recent unfortunate demise of an international student in the custody of the Immigration Department created only the slightest ripple in the higher education domain. The deceased student’s university posted a notice of his death, a few students demonstrated outside the Nigerian Embassy, but that was about all that happened in a sector that has more than 100,000 international students. Unless I missed them, there were no expressions of concern from our universities and colleges or from student or staff bodies or from the many associations of universities and colleges.

Deaths in custody are not frequent occurrences, but even one death, when set against a background of regular student complaints of harassment by the authorities should cause enough concern among institutions to initiate some firmer actions to deal with the matter. If the existing system for the centralized management of international students is not functioning efficiently to prevent the wrongful detention of students, it is time to jettison it for one where there is an obligation on detention centers to contact the institution where the subject student is registered. Information on the centralized system is meant to be available to all enforcement agencies to help them verify the status of international students. That information should be enough to avoid improper detentions of students. If the system is not functioning to its purposes or worse still is not being relied upon by the enforcement agencies, these factors must be addressed by those who created the system and are responsible for its management.

UNESCO statistics show that annually, there are over 5 million students circulating the globe looking for a place to learn outside their own countries. Malaysia which is at number 10 in the UNESCO list of countries drawing incoming students, brought in more than 120,000 foreign students in 2016. Associations representing local educational institutions urge the government to grow the number of inbound students because of their contribution to the economy. Each student, they assert, contributes at least RM50,000 a year to the local economy, more than the average tourist and a great deal more than the foreign worker who sends out a part of his earning. A Government Report published in 2009 entitled, Strengthening Private Education in Malaysia also focuses on the economic value of the student in private institutions.

The value of international students lies not simply in the money they bring into this country or that they support the development of our education sector. International students add value to our social and cultural systems. They link us with distant communities, transform our classrooms and make international citizens of our students. The international student must leave this country not only with his scroll but with the memory of being amongst a friendly and kind people. It will be a terrible loss to this country and its people if they stop coming here because they fear for their safety.

The Demise of Orhions E. Thomas - a Student Who Came to Malaysia For His Studies

There is something deeply sad about a student dying in the foreign land that he had traveled to study. Journeys such as his are meant to end with his return to his homeland carrying the parchments of his qualifications. The journey is often made with great sacrifice by parents, but with the expectation that when the student returns with his new qualifications there will be a restoration for the family and new hope for those who are born after him. It is a story that we are very familiar with in this country, either as the journeying student or as the providing parent - the story of placing all hope on one and waiting. The immense sadness in learning that death in a foreign land has taken with it all hope is simply indescribable.

The death of Nigerian student Orhions Thomas from the Limkokwing University would have been a tragedy however his death had occurred, but to learn that it happened in the custody of the Immigration Department raises such anger that it even subordinates the tragedy.

Malaysians are no less racist than others, especially when it comes to people from Africa. Black is not a favored color with us. Our enforcement officers carry our prejudices. 20 years ago, there were two groups of students from the same college living in the same block of apartments, off Old Klang Road. One group was from Denmark and the other from Zanzibar. Regulalry, when the two groups walked down the road to the point where the college buses waited for them, the police would come by and pick up the Zanzibaris for questioning. The fact they were World Bank-sponsored scholars and Muslims made no difference. The Danish students were never molested. Apart from being racists, we also cringe to Europeans in a serious way. When the college protested, it was told that as they are Africans, they have to accept such actions by the police. The practices and the attitudes on which they are based continues unabated 20 years later and with more than 100, 000 foreign students coming to this country for their education. Our prejudices continue

The detention of students simply because they may have violated some immigration regulations is simply outrageous. You cannot criminalize carelessness. The arrest and detention of foreign students are not a once in a while occurrence. It is dangerous walking our streets if you are a student, even if you have a Student Visa Pass issued by the Immigration Department. Every college and university has a tale to tell about the privations foreign students are subjected to. This country invites students from around the world. We promise them a safe place, far from wars and other forms of brutalities. There are strict rules to filter the real students from those coming in for work and other reasons. If with all those regulations, we still lack the confidence in treating everyone fairly, we may as well close our borders completely. It is far worse to invite them, promising them safety and have them die in such circumstances than to not allow anyone coming in at all. The shame of it all.