KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students on campus can start enjoying balanced meals at a RM3.50 ceiling price from Friday (July 15).

UMS deputy vice chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) Prof Madya Dr Raman Noordin said this is in line with the Higher Education Ministry’s call for higher learning institutions to provide quality food at affordable prices for students.

He said campus students in UMS, as well as those living close to the university, will be able to benefit from UMS’ “Food Basket Siswa Keluarga Malaysia” initiative.

He said the college cafeteria operators in the university have agreed to be on board with the programme and to ensure that the food provided at a low price was still of quality and nutritious.

“We will not compromise on quality although the pricing is this low,” said Prof Raman.

He said this can benefit all students, especially the 13,179 B40 students in UMS.

To help cafeteria operators cover the rising cost of ingredients, among other things, UMS also agreed to allow them a six-month rental moratorium starting July, he said.

Prof Raman said this can help them with their rental costs as they reduce the prices of food sold to students for the programme.

UMS vice chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin said likewise, under the university’s #UMSPeduli (UMS care) programme, they will continue to strengthen the existing food bank programme introduced in 2019.

“This Food Bank initiative is not only for campus students but also to those living outside the university,” he said.

“For this, the non-resident and student housing facility centre (PNRF) had also set up a food bank for non-resident students near the PNRF centre at Anjung Siswa, UMS,” he said.

Prof Taufiq hopes corporate bodies and other agencies can come forward to be part of this initiative to help needy students and ensure that they at least have proper food and drinks to enjoy when studying at the university.