DAP slams Putrajaya for slashing JPA scholarships

Datuk Seri Najib Razak should prioritise students depending on government scholarships and not cut the allocation for Public Service Department (JPA) scholarships, said DAP. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 28, 2016. Datuk Seri Najib Razak should prioritise students depending on government scholarships and not cut the allocation for Public Service Department (JPA) scholarships, said DAP.

Its national organising secretary Anthony Loke said the prime minister must ensure that students who were now studying overseas on government scholarships could continue their studies.

"The decision to slash the allocation for the JPA bursary and scholarships as announced by Datuk Seri Najib Razak this morning is regrettable.

"It fails to place importance on the future of our country's human capital," he said in a statement today.

Loke also said Najib's announcement that the bursary programme would provide for the 744 students, who wanted to take up their first degree at public universities and in private higher learning institutions in the country, was devastating to those who got offers to study abroad.

"Most of them had gotten offers to study at famous universities abroad.

"The government's decision will force outstanding students to turn down those offers and lose the chance to study overseas, and look for other alternatives, including seeking other scholarships in other countries.

"That will lead to a brain drain and cost us our best human capital," he said.

Loke also criticised the decision to cut the budget for the National Scholarship Programme for top Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia students to study at any top university.

Now the programme will only be open to 20 students, instead of 50 students.

"At least 30 top SPM students from 2015 will have to be 'sacrificed'," he said.

Meanwhile, for the local first-degree programme, more than 2,000 students would also be “axed” after the budget was slashed to accommodate only 8,000 students, instead of 10,050 previously.

"This Barisan Nasional government under the Najib administration is one that 'cakap tak serupa bikin' (says one thing and does another). What happened to 'rakyat didahulukan' (people first)?

"The top leader of the country does not care about the problems of the people and the future of our youths.

"We want to remind Najib that 99% of the people in Malaysia cannot afford to eat 'wagyu beef' that cost RM20,000 per serving," he said, referring to a recent viral posting alleging that Najib and his wife enjoyed such a dish.

Loke said many came from middle-class or low-income families, and they needed government scholarships to support their higher education. – January 28, 2016.