MATRICULATION students in government colleges are going hungry because their monthly allowances have been delayed, said worried parents.

They said the delay in allowance payments was proving to be a burden for their children, and urged the government to be consistent in making payments.

Fatimah, whose son is a student at the Kedah Matriculation College, said the allowance delay has disrupted the students’ food budget.

“If the allowance is to be given on the 10th of every month, it should be given on that date as the students need to budget for the food and other needs. Not all students in matriculation colleges are from well-to-do families,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

She added that the last allowance payment her son received was in November.

“Allowance payments are not consistent. When our children have no money, those of us without permanent income will still have to find ways to send them money.

“We can’t let our children go hungry,” said the 45-year-old housewife.

The Kedah Matriculation College refused to comment when contacted.

However, a source from the college told The Malaysian Insight that the allocation for allowances had just been approved, thus the delay in payments.

“We’ve just received the funds. So the January payment was delayed. But with the money in, we are in the process of making payments. The students will be getting their allowances through Bank Rakyat soon,” said the source.

The Perlis Matriculation College is also said to have delayed paying allowances to the students. Students here are given RM250 per month.

Sharifah Azlin, 43, said the delay was causing a hole in her pocket as she also has to cater for her other school-going children.

“The allowances are supposed to help the students but when they are delayed, the students and their families are badly affected.

“The RM250 allowance is a lot of money for us,” she said.

She said her son had to skip meals as he was relying solely on the allowance for sustenance.

“His friends also have to resort to fasting because of the delay in allowances. The payments have been inconsistent since last year,” she said.

Another student, when contacted, said the colleges should buck up in their administration and management skills so that such problems can be avoided.

The Malaysian Insight has reached out to Education Minister Maszlee Malik for comments on this issue but he has yet to comment.

A ministry source said the January allowance would be paid before Chinese New Year – which falls on next Tuesday – while the February allowance will be paid after Chinese New Year.

Payments after that are expected to be made regularly on the 10th of each month. – February 1, 2019.