By Hamka Rosli
GOMBAK: The Mahallah (hostel) in IIUM has gone through several changes ever since the reception of students back in 1985. Beginning with only two kulliyyah and one centre in Petaling Jaya there were only a few blocks of hostels back then and the well-known ones were College Abu Bakar and Khadijah.
The beauty of the earlier establishment was the practice of usrah system that was offered to every IIUM student regardless of level, background and course. As IIUM developed, the usrah system was further incorporated in a structured form and through the proposal introduced by Dr. Umar Kasole the duties of residential management were given to fellow cum academic and it reflected the extension of academic duty.
Only when the whole campus in Petaling Jaya moved to Gombak, the usrah system was absorbed under the Co-Curricular Activity Centre (CCAC) and it was renamed as study circle and until now it is only applied to Level One students. Looking at the current students problem at the Mahallah particularly, and IIUM generally, there is a need to have consistent spiritual development programmes.
œThis usrah programme is not meant to burden the student, but to help them in building good personality and good conduct of ethics, said the Director of this usrah programme, Ustaz Fauzi Muda.
The objective is to develop the inner strength in ensuring that students are capable to take care of themselves in facing challenges ahead and in life. This usrah programme is compulsory to student with matric card number which starts from 131xxx and below. The advantages to be part of the usrah programme are the student will be getting star point and and also a certificate.
As explained by Ustaz Fauzi, the usrah programme will be a light one where the students only discuss student-related issues.
œTo educate the student and bring back the usrah system are the main objectives of this programme, he added.
Photo by Nurman Lazim