Cover image via SAYSAdenan Satem assures help to Sarawak students affected by the suspension of JPA Scholarships
Posting on his Facebook page, the CM of Sarawak has assured help to Sarawak students affected by the suspension of JPA Scholarships.
In the post, Adenan Satem [wrote](https://www.facebook.com/cmadenansatem/posts/983247205082799), "Yes, we will help the students. I have given instruction to Yayasan Sarawak to find ways and means how best to help them. The affected students are welcomed to present their petitions to the state government."
Image via TMI
Wee Ka Siong hits out at news portal on JPA scholarship
Image via Malaysia Gazette
22 JAN: "I did not confirm JPA scholarships are suspended," says Wee Ka Siong
Wee said he had merely raised this subject in this week's Cabinet meeting following the complaints he received from bursary recipients who had yet to receive financial affidavits from JPA
21 JAN: Bad news for high-achieving students. Public Service Department (JPA) scholarships and the Education Ministry's bursary for tertiary programmes have been suspended indefinitely due to the country's shrinking revenue.
According to Sin Chew daily, JPA has ceased funding and halted the e-profiling system for degree and pre-university courses both locally and abroad, affecting some 700 scholarship placements this year.
Putrajaya has been struggling with shrinking revenue in the past year as the Brent crude oil price hits a 12-year low at US$27.78 (RM121.55) per barrel. In 2014, the price of crude oil was set at US$114.81 (RM502.35).
PM Najib Razak has also announced that Budget 2016 will be revised to adjust for falling revenue in a bid to optimise government optimised.
Image via JPA
Confirming the move, Minister in the PM's Department Wee Ka Siong said he has appealed against the suspension and urged Najib to reconsider the decision at a Cabinet meeting after receiving complaints from high-achieving students
Wee urged for an urgent resolution to the matter, as some universities commence their intake as early as 1 February. He added that Najib has asked the chief secretary and JPA to submit a report with alternative solutions within a week.
Image via The Rakyat Post
Meanwhile, DAP's Anthony Loke demanded answers from the government in regards to the suspension, as the 2016 budget allocation for JPA scholarships have already been reduced from the previous year's
The Seremban MP noted that according to Budget 2016, RM1.65 billion was allocated for JPA allocations, which is a 14% reduction from 2015's RM1.93 billion.
He also pointed out that the discrepancy between a government report and Sin Chew Daily's article, stating that **the 2016 Estimated Federal Expenditure had pegged 11,604 students to receive first degree scholarships from JPA while Sin Chew only highlighted that 700 students will be affected**.
Image via The Malay Mail Online
Loke also suggested that Najib "lead by example" by reducing allocations under the Prime Minister's Department if cutbacks were needed instead of targetting potential JPA scholars, especially those from lower income families
PKR's Rafizi Ramli later pointed out that this is not the first nor only time the government has cut out from allocations for scholarships and study grants. He also chided Najib for the underhanded way the matter was handled as the public only found out about the suspension when it was reported.
In **Budget 2016**, Rafizi said, the allocation for scholarships and bursaries had also been cut, while the funding for the **Poor Students Trust Fund** had been reduced from RM200 million to RM10 million.
Rafizi said the fact that the people only found out about the JPA scholarship suspension through news, initially reported only in the Chinese newspapers, shows that **Najib does not dare to face the rakyat to explain such decisions**.
The approach that Najib is taking in Budget 2016 is becoming clearer, he argued, saying that **the prime minister would rather cut spending on the people than spending on projects that involve the interests of his cronies**.
Image via The Malaysian Insider
