M’sian Student Breaks Dorm Curfew To Get To His Part-Time Job

College student breaks curfew to go to part-time job

Malaysians who have lived or are currently living on campus will know about curfew hours and strict hostel wardens. They’re a part of university life providing security for students while they’re away from home – which is why most late-night activities are prohibited, and reserved typically for emergency cases that require an official request submitted to these wardens before you can leave the grounds.

So when a hostel warden at University Kuala Lumpur caught a student trying to sneak out of a hostel after the curfew of 6PM, he was ready to carry out disciplinary action on the individual. But turns out, the hardworking student was just trying to get to his overnight shift as an Alam Flora cleaner.

Student works weekend overnight shifts

Image credit: UniKL

Muhammad Irwan, a warden at UniKL, first shared the story on his Facebook page on 17th October 2020. According to him, the incident took place at the university hostel at 10PM. A guard had called him to go over to the entry gates after apprehending an individual dressed in an Alam Flora uniform.

As Alam Flora offers public cleaning services to keep our city streets clean, it was no wonder the guard found it odd to see one of their personnel at the university’s premises.

Alam Flora personnel working hard to keep our cities clean
Image credit: Alam Flora Sdn Bhd

But before Irwan came to a decision as to what to do with the trespasser, he saw that the guy was a student at the university. In fact, it was someone Irwan was familiar with, because the student was known to be hardworking and always willing to lend a helping hand to those who needed it. Irwan also later shared that the student was always on campus even during important holidays, such as Raya Puasa and Raya Haji.

When asked why he was wearing the Alam Flora uniform, the unnamed student responded that he was on his way to his part-time job, which he earns a salary of RM45 per night for his shifts. His working hours are from 10PM-7AM on Fridays and the weekends, and some of his tasks include picking and sweeping up garbage.

The student had been trying to climb over the gate to get to work when he was caught by the guard. After the incident, Irwan decided to let him off, and even personally requested the guards to allow the student to go in and out of the university premises freely for work, so he didn’t need to climb the gate anymore.

Kind Malaysians chip in to get him a motorcycle

Image credit: Mohd Fadli Salleh

The story shared by Irwan was quickly picked up by Malaysians, with over 100 shares and 800 reactions at the time of writing. This included Mohd Fadli Salleh, or Cikgu Fadli, a teacher known for his charity works, who shared even more details about the humble student in a Facebook post on 22nd October.

According to him, the student supports his elderly parents – his mum works as a cleaner too – and 3 siblings with the money he earns from his part-time job and student loans. He sends over around RM500-700 a month to his family, all while maintaining a GPA of over 3.0 at his university.

Moved by the story, Cikgu Fadli enlisted the help of Dana Kita, a foundation that helps individuals with volunteer work and by collecting donated funds for those in need. Using money donated from kind Malaysians, along with money he personally chipped in, Cikgu Fadli and the team helped facilitate the purchase of a shiny, blue motorcycle for the student.

Image credit: Mohd Fadli Salleh

This was because the warden had asked the student if he wanted a motorcycle to travel around or take up other part-time jobs, such as being a GrabFood or FoodPanda delivery rider. But the student is known to be careful with his money, spending his free time finding jobs to get extra income, and taking up any ride offers from his friends or just walking to save up.

He accepted the gift only on the condition that he would be allowed to donate the motorcycle to someone in need after his school years were up.

Student tries to go to part-time job after breaking curfew

Getting through college is not easy, what with all the work to be done. But instead of spending his time enjoying his weekends, this student is working hard to support his family. We’re glad that his inspiring story has made the headlines, and we applaud the Malaysians who have come out to support him and reach out with funds to get him a brand-new motorcycle.