BANGI, June 13 — Students on Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships will receive an additional RM100 monthly allowance from July, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
He made the announcement during a dialogue session with scholars from around Malaysia at University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) here.
The meeting was part of his engagement programmes to identify issues affecting the public and ways the government could help address these.
Anwar’s announcement was in response to an attendee who asked if the government was planning to increase allowances for the scholarship holders.
“How much did you ask for? RM100 per year?” Anwar asked as the hall packed with more than two thousand scholars burst into laughter.
“Oh sorry, I thought I heard RM100 for the year. Well, in all honesty, we’ve spoken about this and you will get RM100 more per month.
“In fact, if you’d asked for RM250, we would consider it, too, but as for approval, maybe they (the Cabinet) won’t,” he said in apparent jest.
Recently, parents of PSD scholars living abroad complained of rising costs that was exacerbated by the weakening ringgit.
They had urged the government to offer more aid to the students, which Anwar today said the government was working to resolve.
“I hear all your frustrations, so for now, as I work hard to fix the country from years of corruption, I haven’t forgotten you all, so this extra money we will begin to disperse it from July onwards. Personally, I hope by the third week of June, we can give you the extra RM100,” he said.
PSD scholars’ allowances are based on the location, type and period of their study.
