parties, except the 744 students who were supposed to go overseas this year have been asked to continue their studies locally, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s department Azalina Othman Said.
“I want to stress that the government has not cancelled any JPA scholarships as claimed by various parties.
“For 2016, RM1.65 billion has been allocated for JPA scholars. This clearly shows that the government has not sidelined education. I hope all parties will not politicise the issue and cause confusion among the public,” she said in a statement today.
The Pengerang MP added that news on her parliamentary reply that the government will save RM240 million in expenditure by scrapping the 744 scholarships for students due to go overseas this year has caused negative public comments.
In the statement, the minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, said she answered the question by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, on money saved if the government scrapped its sponsorship of the 744 students due to study overseas this year.
“The sponsorship of the 744 students continues to allow them to finish their studies locally. This was announced in the 2016 Budget recalibration on Jan 28,” she added.
She further explained that 49,060 students are still under government sponsorship, comprising 41,324 who are studying locally and 7,736 who are overseas, and a further breakdown will be released soon.
Several students due to go overseas under JPA sponsorship were informed recently that they were no longer gong to be financed for overseas studies, causing public outcry.