Family comforted by visits
JERTIH: A week has passed since the tragic bus accident on the East-West Highway near Gerik, Perak, but the home of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) student Nurly Shahirah Azman continues to receive some 1,000 people daily.
Her brother, Mohd Najmuddin, 28, said people from across the country have been arriving to convey their condolences and view the handwritten Quran manuscript completed by the late student.
'People have come from as far as Penang to offer their sympathies to our parents and see the mushaf (manuscript) that was meticulously copied by hand by my sister.
'Some arrive as early as after the Subuh prayers, and it's only around Maghrib that the house becomes a bit quieter,' he told Bernama when met at their home in Kampung Gong Pasir here yesterday.
He said aside from family members, neighbours and fellow villagers have also been helping to prepare meals and drinks for the guests.
Meanwhile, Nurly Shahirah's father, Azman Mohamad, 63, said the outpouring of support, including from strangers, has provided some comfort as the family copes with their loss.
In the early morning of June 9, 15 UPSI students were killed when the chartered bus they were travelling in from Jertih to the university's main campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak, overturned after colliding with a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) on the JRTB in Gerik.
The crash also left 33 others injured, including the bus driver and assistant, as well as the driver and three passengers of the MPV.
In Ipoh, UPSI vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Md Amin Md Taff called on the university's faculty members, deans and lecturers to help in managing the affected students' welfare.
In an online briefing held yesterday, Md Amin highlighted the need to support the families of the students who perished in the crash as well as their injured colleagues.
He urged academic staff to ensure that matters related to the affected students' exams, assignments and academic affairs are properly managed, whether the students are recovering in hospital or at home.
'Do everything possible so that these students do not have to defer their studies despite being in pain and going through hardship.
'We have many flexible learning system. Make sure they are not left behind.
'These children need our attention, our assistance and our encouragement.
'We must ensure none of them are left to struggle or end up failing not because they didn't try, but because we failed to support them,' said Md Amin.
He also reminded staff and other students to be mindful of the classmates of those who died or were injured.
'Imagine preparing a presentation with five names, but only three students show up. Imagine a dormitory where four used to stay, and only two remain,' said Md Amin in his message.
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