OUM Offers 75 Per Cent Discounts For Disabled, Senior Citizens

BANGI, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- The Open University Malaysia (OUM) is offering a 75 per cent discount in study fees under a special scheme for the disabled and senior citizens whose birthdays fall on Aug 31, 1957. OUM Vice Chancellor Prof Tan Sri Anuwar Ali said the privilege would be offered to those who registered for diploma, graduate and post-graduate courses at the university. He announced this at the launch of the scheme by the Deputy Prime Minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, at the Industrial Training and Rehabilitation Centre here Tuesday. Meanwhile, Rosmah said the life-long learning programme and the fee discount scheme would enabled the disabled and the senior citizens to pursue higher education."They also want to be self-reliant and be able to contribute to the country's prosperity and harmony," she said. She also expressed the need for other institutions of learning and vocational training to provide facilities and suitable programmes to enhance the capability of the disabled and senior citizens so that they could find jobs. Disabled student, Norhanisah Che Aziz, 22, who is taking a Diploma in Human Resource Management said the scheme offered by OUM gave her the opportunity to further her studies. Norhanisah, who is in her second year and received sponsorship from the National Welfare Foundation, said the system at OUM made learning easy."Assignments can be sent through the e-mail. Tutorial classes are sometimes conducted online and the fees are not high," she said. Currently, the disabled and senior citizens taking courses at OUM are offered a 50 per cent discount in study fees.-- BERNAMA