KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim Chee Keong said he will be covering one of his constituents’ tuition fees, since he was touched by the sacrifices made by Dharsini Subramaniam, 21.
Writing on Facebook, he said he will also pay for Dharshini’s registration fee, travel expenses, and laptop purchase — for her to study software engineering in Melaka’s Universiti Teknikal Malaysia (UTem).
“I brought the UTeM registration form and asked Dharsini to fill it out. She was shocked and said she couldn’t even afford the RM2,000 registration fee, let alone other costs to continue her studies.
“If Uncle Steven comes with the form, it means Uncle Steven will make sure those things won’t be a problem,” he wrote, referring to himself in third person.
The human resource minister said although initially Dharshini received an opportunity to fulfil her dream of working with artificial intelligence (AI), she had to decline the offer due to her family’s financial struggles.
Her mother, who is visually impaired and suffered a leg injury in a past accident, is her primary concern, as her father has passed away.
Dharsini then accepted a part-time job at a mini-market, earning RM1,500 a month, hoping to save enough money for her education in the future — until Sim made the offer.
Sim said the mother had shed tears after listening to Sim’s offer, and pleaded for him to take care of Dharshini if she passes away.
“My heart shattered hearing that. I told her to stay strong. Dharsini is a good daughter. Dharsini will attend university and later work as a software engineer to take care of her.
“Steven’s foster children are growing in number. They may be of different religions and skin colours, but this is the beauty of my Malaysia,” he wrote.
