PROGRESS OF THE WAQF PROJECT FOR THE STUDENT RESIDENTIAL BUILDING IN KUALA KANGSAR

Progress of the Waqf Project for the Student Residential Building in Kuala Kangsar

In 1999, the Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk) established an educational institution named Kolej Islam Darul Ridzuan (KISDAR). Between 1999 and 2016, KISDAR experienced rapid development and underwent several organizational changes over time. Eventually, KISDAR was upgraded to a full-fledged university, effective 10 June 2016, and became known as Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (USAS).

At its early stages, USAS operated on a piece of land owned by MAIPk in Ipoh. After a few years, USAS moved its operations to its own campus in Kuala Kangsar. However, one of the main issues faced by USAS to this day is student accommodation, which has not kept pace with the increasing number of students. The existing facilities can only accommodate 1,500 students. Most USAS students come from outside Kuala Kangsar or even outside Perak, forcing them to rent off-campus at high rental rates.

The 193rd Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council Conference on 18 December 2015 approved the establishment of a waqf fund named “Waqaf Perak Al Ridzuan” (WAPAR). The conference also approved several projects to be implemented under WAPAR, including the Mumtaz Program, the construction of the Waqf Business Centre (WBC), the Haemodialysis Centre, Wakaf for the Development of Quranic Knowledge, Wakaf Boats, Cash Waqf schemes, and the construction of student residential buildings for USAS.

MAIPk deemed it necessary to include the USAS Student Residential Building Waqf as a project under WAPAR due to the urgent need for accommodation for USAS students, who now number over 4,000. WAPAR took the initiative to address this shortage by constructing two five-story apartment blocks (75 units) capable of housing 720 students at a time. The dormitory buildings are located adjacent to the USAS main campus and are developed with comfortable learning environments and facilities, while also helping to reduce students’ living expenses through affordable rental rates.

The USAS Student Residential Building project is built on Lot 14120, Mukim Sayung, Kuala Kangsar, and construction began in March 2016 by Sri Kancil Development Sdn. Bhd. The project cost amounted to RM15 million, funded through WAPAR waqf funds. The largest contributor to the project was Maybank Islamic, with a donation of RM5 million.

As of June 2017, the project had reached 90% completion, with full completion expected by September 2017. The first phase of the project was completed in 2018, consisting of two blocks at USAS, Kuala Kangsar, with a total cost of RM17 million from various sources. This phase benefited 800 USAS students. The second phase will involve the development of several cluster dormitories and rental houses targeting students in the Ipoh area, including UniKL, PUO, KPTM, and others. To date, MAIPk continues to seek support for waqf fund contributions to realize this noble initiative. It is estimated that 300–500 students in the Ipoh area will benefit from this phase.