Students Affected By JPA Scholarship Suspension Drown In A Sense Of Hopelessness

"This January when our A-levels results were released online, we were required to create an account online for the purpose of this scholarship. So I updated (partially) my account and so did some of my friends who have already received their unconditional offer letter from Australia’s university," Katherine told SAYS.

"The next day, one of friends told us that she could not access the website, e-Profiling, and asked us about it. So we tried, and yes, the website does not exist anymore. It was taken down from the JPA web. That was when everybody starts freaking out."

Katherine also said that the ones going to Australia for the February intake will be most affected as they have to accept their offer by late January or early February.

"I don't think there's much hope for me. I received an offer for medicine. My deadline to accept the offer is on end of January, as the course will be commencing on February."

Katherine would need the financial affidavit from JPA in order to accept the offer.

"It's not easy getting into the limited seats available in overseas universities, especially in dentistry and medicine field where there are quotas to follow."

"We are all really disappointed as we worked hard for an offer. It shocked us. There's no announcement from them. No emails, the system was taken down, just like that."

Choong agrees that the government has no obligation to use tax revenue to fund a selected number of students' tertiary education, and she also does not consider it her right to be given a scholarship based on academic merit. However, she said that JPA's mismanagement on this issue has been costly, especially for the students affected.

"What about the thousands of dollars they have spent on university application? What about the rest of us, who have spent thousands and thousands of dollars of our parents' money, sitting for aptitude tests, language requirement tests, and applying for universities?"

"Without a JPA scholarship, all that is wasted. If JPA had told us two years ago about their decision, we would have time to make other plans."

"While my family can afford my university tuition fees for a public university, there is no way they can put me through my current pre-university programme, and no way they can afford for me to study abroad."

"If we had known this was going to happen, I believe many of us would have opted for the STPM or matriculation route. What's left now that we are doing (or have completed) A-levels or IB, is to either apply to local private institutions or overseas institutions," Choong said.

"Studying at both costs money. Money many of us do not have. Money that, if we use, will deprive our younger siblings of their education fund. Money that JPA was supposed to provide. Money that is now gone."

"Certainly some students do break their bonds, but equally often I believe JPA also releases many scholars of their bonds due to lack of job placement. Developing human capital can work, if well managed by both sides.

With the JPA scholarship, perhaps 60 percent of Malaysians studying overseas would have returned to Malaysia to start a career, obligated to or otherwise. Without the JPA scholarship, what's stopping the academically bright Malaysians with the ability to secure bond-free scholarships from never coming back?," she added.

"Oh, you needn't mourn for the suspended JPA scholarship," Choong said.

"Mourn instead for those who have worked so hard only to have their dreams crushed. Mourn for our brothers and sisters who will emigrate as soon as they get the chance."

"Mourn for the further distrust cultivated against the government because of this incident. Mourn for a Malaysia that our leaders are slowly destroying with their bad governance."

"In the time being, I'm looking for other scholarships available, and is applying for local admissions. Hopefully JPA will be able to sponsor us locally, however, this is still unconfirmed," Katherine said.

"Since many other students from the bursary program that are now competing for the famous scholarships (Shell, Sime Darby) and also turning directions towards local uni and colleges, it'll be a tough competition. Not to mention that only limited seats are available for A-levels students for government uni," she added.

Meanwhile, Choong is still unsure what is next for her.

"What am I going to do after pre-university? Oh, I don't know. Work, maybe, to fund my future education," Choong said.