KUCHING: Public Service Department (JPA) scholarships have been converted to loans.
In its official portal Pembangunan Modal Insan (eSILA), JPA announced that “all JPA scholarships will be presented in the form of loans but they can be changed within the mechanism of loan agreements under three circumstances”.
The portal said loans can be turned into scholarships and graduates are exempted from repaying them if they work in the public sector upon graduation.
And in the event that the graduates work in government-linked companies (GLCs), they are only required to pay back half of the loan amount.
It also said loan-holders who do not work in the public sector or GLCs will have to repay the full amount.
Meanwhile, Welfare, Family and Women Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, when contacted, said she was not surprised by the decision.
“It does not surprise me. Bitter pills are hard to swallow. I have been expecting something like this to happen because our economy is bad. The exchange rate of ringgit compared to other currencies is really not in our favour.
“In bad times like this, the government either makes such decision or approve less JPA scholarships. And to me, the second option is even worse,” said Fatimah, who has been entrusted with the watch briefing for education in Sarawak.
She hopes that when the Malaysian economy turns around, there will be a reverse in JPA’s decision.