Kota bharu: More than 70 per cent, or nearly 10,000 Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) students currently pursuing their studies at the university's three campuses in Pengkalan Chepa, Jeli, and Bachok are from the asnaf group.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, this situation has prompted UMK to bolster various initiatives to ensure the welfare of these students, focusing on entrepreneurship development programmes and strategic collaborations with industry partners and corporate bodies. UMK Vice-Chancellor Datuk Prof Dr Arham Abdullah emphasized the university's commitment to these goals, highlighting a work-study programme as a key initiative. This programme not only allows students to earn additional income but also provides early exposure to working life before they graduate.

Dr Arham noted a recent implementation of this approach with the opening of Kafe Nusukopi. This initiative, funded by a RM277,000 zakat contribution from Maybank Islamic Berhad, selected 20 asnaf students to work at the caf© while studying, aiming to nurture future entrepreneurs. This effort was part of the Maybank Islamic Berhad x UMK Asnaf Entrepreneur Empowerment programme.

Further elaborating, Dr Arham stated that UMK aims for 10 to 15 per cent of its graduates to become entrepreneurs at each convocation, driven by continuous exposure to entrepreneurship from the first year of study. With around 3,000 students graduating at each convocation, the university targets approximately 300 to start their own businesses or companies.

To support this entrepreneurial aspiration, UMK offers interest-free financing of RM3,000 to RM5,000 to students who wish to start a business while still studying, with repayment required only before graduation. Last year, 11 per cent of students owned their companies before completing their studies.