The government must ensure Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Tawau remains a fully operational campus and does not lose its academic identity under a proposed restructuring exercise, Apas assemblyman Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan says.

He said the Higher Education Ministry’s review of UiTM Sabah’s Tawau campus had raised concerns despite Higher Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir reportedly assuring Parliament that the institution would not be closed.

Nizam said the proposal to rationalise operations and potentially turn campus facilities into an education hub involving other institutions required further clarification.

“UiTM Tawau must be retained as a fully functioning UiTM campus,” he said in a statement on Friday.

He said retaining the campus should mean more than keeping its buildings in use, adding that its institutional identity, academic functions and opportunities for students must also be protected.

Established in 1996, UiTM Tawau has provided access to higher education for students from Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu and other parts of Sabah’s east coast.

Nizam said its presence had helped students, particularly those from lower-income families, avoid the additional costs of travelling, accommodation and living expenses associated with studying elsewhere.

He also questioned the use of the campus’s current enrolment of 254 students, as reported by Zambry in Parliament on September 30, as a basis for assessing its future.

Student numbers alone should not determine whether a campus was needed, he said, arguing that the ministry should also examine classroom capacity, teaching facilities and the institution’s ability to accommodate future enrolment.

He said accommodation capacity should not be confused with the number of students that academic facilities could support.

Nizam urged the ministry to explain the criteria behind the proposed rationalisation and ensure its assessment reflected the actual needs of communities along Sabah’s east coast.

He said UiTM Tawau also had the potential to expand through more diverse courses aligned with local economic development, employment opportunities and industry requirements.

Any plans to establish new educational institutions should complement existing facilities rather than replace UiTM’s role, he added.

He called on the ministry to consult the Sabah government, UiTM management, academics, alumni and local communities before making decisions affecting the campus.

“UiTM Tawau must be retained, strengthened and continue to play a meaningful role in the development of higher education in Sabah’s east coast,” he said.