JPA scholarships: What will it be?

By Ding Jo-Ann | The Nut Graph,

 
14 June 2010: Insufficient funds to provide overseas scholarships

“We have to tell the truth. We just cannot afford it. Just like how a parent cannot afford to send their children abroad to further their studies, the government cannot afford it. We do not have the financial capacity that permits us to send every good student abroad.”
“Secondly, it is this: however we do it, whether we reclassify the As that the students get to A+, A [or] A-, the fact remains that in this year alone, the number of students who obtained 9A+ were over 1,200.”

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, explaining the government’s decision to phase out most of the 1,500 Public Service Department (JPA) scholarships for undergraduate studies overseas from 2011 onwards.  Nazri said the cabinet had decided that JPA scholarships for overseas studies would only go to postgraduate students.
Nazri said this policy would also help to retain good students in local universities and keep their talent locally. (Source: Nazri: Putrajaya has no funds for bright students, The Malaysian Insider, 14 June 2010)

6 July 2010: Overseas scholarships for critical fields

“This is because manpower in these fields is much required by the public service sector and the country.”

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, explaining that JPA scholarships to study locally and abroad would still be given out to students with excellent Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2009 results.
He said the scholarships were for critical fields such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary, engineering, science and technology, and social sciences. (Source: Government continues to offer JPA scholarships, Malaysiakini, 6 July 2010)

10 July 2010: All students with 9A+ will get scholarships to study locally and abroad

“We have achieved one thing that we have never done in history. Every student who scores 9A+, irrespective of his or her ethnic background, will get a scholarship from the department. It doesn’t matter if they are Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban or others. If they score 9A+, they will get the scholarship whether for local or overseas studies. This is to show that 1Malaysia is not just a slogan.”

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, announcing that all students who scored 9A+ in their SPM exams would be given a JPA scholarship, whether for local or overseas studies. (Source: All top scorers to get JPA grants, The Star, 11 July 2010)

“The prime minister’s statement is a happy one for all sides.”

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, on the announcement to grant all 9A+ students JPA scholarships. He said it would not be a problem to source for additional funding.  (Source: Go for PSD scholarships, The Star, 12 July 2010)