MARA-Sponsored Students To Get Increased Living Allowances Starting This Month

The increased living allowances (ESH) are expected to benefit 62,998 MARA-sponsored students.

For illustration purposes

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The living allowance (ESH) for all Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA)-sponsored students studying locally and abroad will be raised to reflect the increased costs of living and inflation, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

According to Malay Mail, this is how much students will get from the increased living allowances:

Students studying locally for diploma until PhD: RM650 – RM950 monthly
Students studying abroad for undergraduate degrees until PhD: RM1,380 – RM7,600 monthly.

The increased allowances, which come into effect starting this month, are expected to benefit 62,998 MARA-sponsored students.

University graduates. For illustration purposes. Image: Azneal Ishak/ Malay Mail.

There are currently 4,149 MARA-sponsored students studying abroad. 1,049 of them are studying in 24 universities ranked among the world’s top 50.

Locally, there are 58,849 MARA-sponsored students in public and private institutions.

A ‘Special Operation’ survey by the Public Service Department and MARA in February found that 60% of MARA-sponsored students, who come mainly from the bottom 40% (B40) households, were saddled with increased burden when it came to daily expenses.

The survey focused on students living in cities such as London, Bristol and Edinburgh.

The average monthly expenses for rent and utility bills in these cities can amount to around £500 (RM2,733) to £730 (RM3,990), which is between 60 and 70% of the allowance received by each student.

Ismail added that this resulted in students living further from the place of study or working part-time to stretch their budget.

I am confident that this increase in living allowance is appropriate and fair to help ease the burden of the students from the Malaysian Family facing the increase in living expenses.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob

Since the United Kingdom is currently facing an energy crisis, the raise in allowance might help the MARA-sponsored students living there a little.

Bloomberg reported that UK households risk being pushed into energy poverty this winter by soaring bills that are expected to be more than triple what they were a year ago.

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