Budget cuts may lead to fewer scholarships next year, warns Najib

Former prime minister Najib Razak says university students may be affected by the reduced funding for education.

PETALING JAYA: Najib Razak has again panned Putrajaya’s allocation for education, saying there could be fewer scholarships awarded next year.

In a Facebook post, the former prime minister noted that the Pakatan Harapan government had in the national budget, set aside RM2 billion for Mara scholarships and that of other institutions of higher learning.

The previous budget saw an allocation of RM2.5 billion.

Najib said about RM2.2 billion was also set aside in the past for scholarships under the health ministry, the Public Service Department and the higher education ministry. This time around, only RM1.8 billion was allocated.

“And this does not even include inflation which will see the cost of study increasing,” he said.

The former finance minister said it seemed as if the government did not care about the future of the students or the development of human capital.

He then trained his guns on student activists and critics of the previous education policies for not speaking up.

“Have you lost your voice?” he asked.

Yesterday, Najib criticised Putrajaya’s decision to restrict the offer to convert National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTPN) loans to scholarships to only the students from B40 low-income households who obtained first-class honours, saying it was not right.

He also slammed the government’s move requiring borrowers who earn at least RM1,000 to pay back their loans. - FMT