PM Ismail Sabri announces living allowance increase for MARA-sponsored students

BANGI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today announced that the living allowance (ESH) for local and overseas students sponsored by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) will be increased with immediate effect.

He said the new living allowance rate for local students has been increased from a minimum of RM650 to a maximum of RM950 per month from diploma to professional and doctoral degree levels.

As for students studying overseas, the minimum has been increased to RM1,380 per month and the maximum to RM7,600 per month, from the bachelor's degree level up to the professional and doctoral levels.

"The living allowance for existing and new students studying in the country has been adjusted according to the increase in costs and inflation as well as their needs.

"The increase in allowance will involve a total of 62,998 MARA-sponsored students," he said in his speech at the 'Aspirasi Kecemerlangan Keluarga Malaysia' programme here, which was attended by nearly 3,000 students, while thousands others followed the event online.

There are currently 4,149 MARA-sponsored students studying abroad, and of that number, 1,049 students are studying at 24 universities in the list of the world's top 50 universities, said Ismail Sabri.

He said 58,849 MARA-sponsored students are currently studying at local public universities or selected private educational institutions with four to six-star ratings in the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (SETARA).

Ismail Sabri said the living allowance was used towards accommodation, food, transportation and daily needs.

He said the existing allowance rate had been used for over 13 years and there was a need to review it following the increase in the cost of living in the country over the past 10 years, the coronavirus pandemic and other issues.

"This has impacted students' cost of living and they have to plan their expenses well to ensure that their learning journey is not affected," he added.

Based on the JPA-MARA Special Operation survey in February which focused on life in major cities such as London, Bristol and Edinburgh, Ismail Sabri said more than 60 per cent of MARA and JPA-sponsored students, the majority of whom are from the B40 group, were found to be struggling with daily expenses.

"For example, the average monthly expenses for house rent and utility bills in major cities are between GBP500 or RM2,733 and GBP730 or RM3,990. This is between 60 and 70 per cent of the allowance received by each student," he said.

He added that the living allowance for MARA and JPA students such as in London was GBP1,045 or RM5,712, much lower than the UK government's recommended median of GBP1,312 or RM7,172 as of Sept 2021.

"Students have to practice prudent spending and cut their budget by getting a place to live a little far from the university and working part-time to cover their daily needs.

"The government will not let the people, especially the students, cut their spending on food," he said.

When met by reporters after the ceremony, Ismail Sabri said he had instructed the Public Service Department (JPA) to also review the living allowance rates for JPA-sponsored students.

"(For the JPA allowance), I have spoken to the director-general of Public Service (Datuk Seri Mohd Shafiq Abdullah) and it is being processed.

"I told him that there should be no significant difference between MARA and other sponsors... I know there are much higher sponsorships but the minimum rate should be the same," he said.

-- BERNAMA