Higher Education in Malaysia 95
It would be correct to conclude that public investments apportioned
to public HEIs have succeeded in meeting NEP goals of education and
employment opportunities for Bumiputras. It would be equally correct to
surmise that after having invested with success in the same group for forty-
three years, there would be expectations that the returns to government
investments would benefit the country as a whole.
Student Financial Assistance
Government financial assistance to students is primarily through
scholarships and loans. One of the most coveted sources of scholarship are
those offered by the Public Services Department (Jabatan Perkhidmatan
Awam or JPA) which is open to all, focusing on priority areas largely in
science and technology. Awards, based on academic merit, are tenable in
local and foreign universities and are divided according to racial lines.
These scholarships play a vital role in the access agenda. For example in
2008, of the 59,107 students studying overseas, 36.4 per cent or 21,517 were
sponsored (MOHE 2009). Of these, 2,000 were JPA scholarship holders of
which 55 per cent were Bumiputra and the balance of 45 per cent were
non-Bumiputra (see Figure 4.2).
However, Figure 4.2 also shows decreasing numbers of JPA scholarship
recipients for foreign study, while maintaining a somewhat similar
FIGURE 4.2
JPA Overseas Scholarships, 2008–12Source: Parliamentary Q&A Session, Minister in Prime Minister’s Department, Shahiddan Kassim,
October 2013.
02004006008001000120014002008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Bumiputera Non-Bumiputera1100
9001176
924 971
779 882
618180 120