UCSF to impose 50% pay cut as student enrolment falls – VC

KOTA KINABALU: The Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented. In the past two months, many businesses have been severely impacted.

Some even collapsed due to its destructive nature, said Dr Mohamed Haleem Bin Mohamed Razi, Vice Chancellor, University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) on the university’s temporary austerity measure.

“The destructive impact of Covid-19 is
far-reaching. Likewise, its devastative ripping effects have not spared UCSF.

“Education remains a sector just like tourism, suffering from not only being restricted in its operation but also its services hampered,” he said in a statement issued yesterday.

Mohamed Haleem said UCSF had only managed to achieve 18 percent of its April 2020 semester recruitment target due to lack of demand as a result of the market sentiment caused by the pandemic.

“This situation is similar to other private Higher Institutions of Learning is facing in Sabah.”

In addition, he said UCSF had to suspend programmes that require face to face mode, including the university’s international programmes.

He added this had resulted in a severe shortage to the expected revenue of UCSF for the year 2020.

“Apart from taking appropriate actions of cuts in operation costs, UCSF has also curbed some of its normal activities and ceasing some operations and services.

“Furthermore, understanding the predicament of the situation requires time for recovery to normal, UCSF has initiated a temporary austerity measure, from now until September this year, by putting in place a temprorary remuneration scheme which commensurate with the number of paid workdays, to ensure its restricted funds are able to withstand till next wave of intake in September.

“The detail of the proposed remunerations scheme is 50 percent gross salary for a period of four months, that is, from June 2020 until September 2020.

“The committed total work hours per week or an equivalent of three days per week. During the period of this scheme being implemented an employee is free to seek work elsewhere outside his/her designated workdays,” Mohamed Haleem explained.

Hence, he added: “This is not a retrenchment scheme but a scheme to maintain the organization and retain its staff.”

“This challenging predicament for the next few months is an unprecedented situation and, UCSF accepts the reality and is willing to be patient in weathering this temporary hardship.

“This temporary austerity measure will be lifted as soon as possible with a swift economic recovery and the UCSF making every effort to make the financial standing better, among others to ensure the September student intake a successful one,” he concluded.

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