KOTA BARU, Oct 2 — The heartfelt message of retired civil servant M Chinnakaruppan, 67, on WhatsApp regarding the lack of funds for his daughter to register at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) garnered enough attention to raise the RM3,000 needed.

Chinnakaruppan shared in a Whatsapp post that his daughter, Kalaimagal, 20, has been accepted to pursue a Bachelor’s degree course at UMK’s Faculty of Hospitality, Tourism, and Wellbeing but lacked the RM3,000 needed for registration.

"The screenshot of the post was shared in a WhatsApp group for village residents and uploaded on Sept 21. It quickly went viral, drawing sympathy from many.

"Some individuals launched a fundraising campaign that successfully collected RM3,000 in just two hours, thanks to the contributions of the community,” he said.

Chinnakaruppan, who hails from Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, had attended the registration session for his daughter’s studies at UMK Kota Campus earlier today.

Chinnakaruppan, who earns around RM700 a month, said that the contributions from villagers and the public have eased his financial burden on registration day.

"Aside from Kalaimagal, I also have to support three other children who are still studying, while I am dealing with nerve pain and asthma,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student and Alumni Affairs) responded promptly through the UMK Cakna Programme, providing RM1,000 in cash, a laptop and essential supplies.

The family’s struggles have also attracted the attention of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, who has stepped in to assist Kalaimagal in continuing her studies at UMK. — Bernama