Students’ allowance to be raised

PUTRAJAYA: Living allowance (ESH) rates for Malaysian students under the Higher Education Ministry’s sponsorship and scholarship programmes will be increased, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

The Higher Education Minister said this will include both current recipients and those in the future.

“The government always focuses on the welfare of sponsored students and seriously helps with the challenges of the rising cost of living,” he said when announcing the increase together with the launch of MyBrain 2.0 yesterday.

He said the ESH will be increased by 15% for Masters and PhD students studying overseas.

He added that the rate will be standardised for all students in the United Kingdom while those in the United States will have two rates instead of the current three.

For those studying locally, Mohamed Khaled said there will be a RM100 increase per month from the current rate.

However, he added that this will not include those in the MyBrainScience programme as the allowance is bigger.He also said the ESH rate for students who are civil servants in service, whether studying in the country or abroad, remains the same as they are already receiving a salary.

Mohamed Khaled said the ministry has 18 scholarship and sponsorship programmes, including the Bumiputra and Public Higher Learning Institution (IPTA) Training Schemes, Tokoh Siswa scholarship and B40 TVET Scholarship Programme.

Overall, he added that the increase is estimated to be worth RM30.78mil from 2024 and will benefit a total of 24,729 students.

Higher Education Ministry Scholarship Division secretary Mazlina Mokhtar said there has not been an increase in the allowance for the past 10 years.

Jared Ong, 18, who will be going to the University of California, the United States, said the increase in the allowance is helpful as the Malaysian ringgit has weakened against the US dollar.

“I feel like the government will give us enough of an allowance for us to survive,” said the MyBrainScience sponsorship recipient.

“Even if it is barely enough, I should be able to learn how to manage my finances,” he said, adding that he will be flying to California at the end of the year to study biochemistry.

While he is unsure of the exact amount he will be receiving, IPTA Academic Training Scheme 2023 recipient Dr Thanga Ganapathy Subrumanian, 31, said it is “something extra” that would help him cover his day-to-day expenses as he lives in Petaling Jaya.

As a recipient of the IPTA Academic Training Scheme 2023, Dr Thanga will be receiving a living allowance while he pursues his Masters in Plastic Surgery from Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Tokoh Siswa 2023 recipient Anis Adilah Amlaki, 26, said the amount will be very helpful as she lives and studies in Kuala Lumpur.