how does this bode for students and learners overseas?

As the ringgit weakens, some families face financial strain in supporting higher education abroad

By D. KANYAKUMARI
To Leonard Tee, getting into his dream university in Cambridge was not the difficult part. The 20-year-old student worked hard and got the grades to earn a place in the institution's biological and biomedical sciences programme.
Yet, now that he has earned his place, Tee and his family worry that they may be unable to afford it.
"My family had a budget. I also ran errands and worked part-time at my uncle's car workshop.
"So, by the time I completed my foundation programme in 2022, we had enough money saved to take me through the three years (of the degree). However, with the state of our currency now, I might only have enough to get me through halfway," he says.
Tee adds that the university has offered him a partial scholarship, and that it is one of the few institutions that provides aid to international students. Plus, his parents and his uncle have promised additional monetary support.
However, he is not sure it will all be enough.

Declining value

The ringgit has been struggling against other currencies over the past few years, falling to a 26-year low in February. This has affected a wide range of things, including the cost of essential goods, imports and travel.
It has also profoundly impacted education, particularly for Malaysians who intend to or are currently pursuing tertiary courses abroad.
According to the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE), over 50,000 Malaysians are currently studying in universities overseas.
This is why it has formulated initiatives to ease the financial burdens of families, introduced scholarships aimed at sponsoring targeted groups of students and provided financial assistance.
It is also set to roll out special education programmes and awards to both motivate and help students pursue higher education locally and internationally.
But the government has not been alone in its efforts. Private institutions in Malaysia have also been playing their part.
For instance, Brickfields Asia College (BAC) has a sports fund to aid students who have previously competed at the state or international levels. It has also introduced an education fund and easy payment plans.
Similarly, other varsities, such as Taylor's University and Sunway University, offer a variety of scholarships and financial aid plans, all of which are targeted at helping students in need.
The question, however, is whether these initiatives are enough to aid parents and students affected by a rise in the cost of education due to the declining ringgit.

Uphill battleTo Johnsson Raj, whose son is currently pursuing a medical degree in Russia, the answer is no.
The chartered accountant said scholarships and financial aid are largely meant for students who do well academically and have achieved notable scores. As such, they do not address the larger issue of rising costs.
"Don't get me wrong. Those children (who qualify) deserve the aid and scholarships 100 per cent. But people like me, with kids who are not as bright, have to be financially prepared to ensure our children have a shot (at higher education).
"I know what my son's capabilities are. That's why we invested in an education investment plan and set up a fund for him when he was eight. Of course, our economic situations were different (then), and things like the pandemic were nowhere in our foresight.
"But, now with everything that has happened and the dwindling ringgit, I don't know how much longer he can continue his studies in Russia," he said, adding that costs are not just limited to tuition but necessities such as accommodation and food plus allowances for extra-curricular activities and supplies.
K.R. Janaki, similarly, said that the depreciating ringgit has had an impact on her 22-year-old daughter's studies in Melbourne, Australia.
"She used to live on campus, and the university is right in the middle of Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD). So you can imagine how much everything costs.
"Her father and I had meticulously planned everything because her brother also studied at the same university seven years ago. However, the state of our currency and inflation as well as the pandemic badly affected our finances," Janaki said.
So, one of the first things the family did was move their daughter to a more affordable living space, which is, unfortunately, an hour away from the university.
"We also went up sometime in November last year, to help her set up her place, so she can cook. It's much cheaper to fund her groceries than pay for meals outside," said Janaki, who is a financial director at a university hospital.
"It's an adjustment for her. But at the rate things are going, we have no choice. Last month, we also spoke to someone about the possibility of her continuing her studies here (in Malaysia), as that would be cheaper. But we're keeping that option as a last resort."
For the record, Bank Negara Malaysia has maintained its overnight policy rateand recently announced that the Malaysian government and central bank are taking coordinated action to ensure the ringgit is stable.
The reality, however, is that the currency's steady decline over the past few months is likely to have a continuing impact on foreign education.

原報導連結：https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/the-falling-ringgit-affecting-foreign-education-how-does-this-bode-for-students-and-learners-overseas-042431171.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKQp0buUSJZTDETjaX0drR0UdHSJG0YVCGf6Zd6iJVHhgX_yXGskLsxcSm43EEA3p9eoSQOewqsgATGHjDMYGxsHC7MhF-slNaBPxDx_MQ4-UuKYbUH0il7LKtkhi5PdeKZWMge7n5MtgI7NpjmKUy651GEA9DmOQUb4W_gjjZgo

以下粗略翻譯：

令吉貶值影響海外教育； 這對海外的學生和學習者來說意味著什麼？

隨著令吉貶值，一些家庭在支持家人出國接受高等教育方面面臨財務壓力

作者：D.Kanyakumari
對Leonard Tee來說，進入他夢想的劍橋大學並不是困難的部分。 這位20歲的學生努力學習，取得了好成績，在該機構的生物和生物醫學科學課程中獲得了一席之地。然而，現在他已經贏得了自己的位置，Tee和他的家人擔心他們可能負擔不起。

「我的家庭有預算。我也跑腿，並在叔叔的汽車車間兼職。

「所以，當我在2022年完成我的預科課程時，我們已經存了足夠的錢來支持我完成三年（學位）課程。但是，以我們現在的貨幣狀況，我可能只夠我讀完三年的課程的一半，」他說。

Tee 補充說，該大學為他提供了部分獎學金，並且是少數向國際學生提供援助的機構之一。 此外，他的父母和叔叔還承諾提供額外的金錢支持。然而，他不確定這一切是否足夠。

令吉貶值
過去幾年，令吉對其他貨幣一直貶值，2月跌至26年低點。 這影響了很多方面，包括必需品、進口和旅行的成本。
它也對教育產生了深遠的影響，特別是對於打算或目前正在國外攻讀高等教育課程的大馬人來說。
根據高等教育部（MoHE）的數據，目前有超過5萬名大馬人在海外大學就讀。
為此，政府制定了減輕家庭經濟負擔的舉措，推出了旨在資助目標學生群體的獎學金並提供經濟援助。
它還將推出特殊教育計劃和獎項，以激勵和幫助學生在本地和國際上接受高等教育。
但政府並不是唯一努力的人。 馬來西亞的私人機構也一直在發揮自己的作用。例如，十五碑亞洲學院 (BAC) 有一項體育基金，用於幫助以前參加過州或國際級別比賽的學生。 它還推出了教育基金和便利的付款計劃。
同樣，其他大學，例如泰萊大學和雙威大學，也提供各種獎學金和經濟援助計劃，所有這些都旨在幫助有需要的學生。然而，問題是這些措施是否足以幫助因令吉貶值而受到教育成本上漲影響的家長和學生。