KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Laura Foong scored 12 As in her O-levels three years ago but her application for an overseas government scholarship was rejected.
But Foong was offered a scholarship by the National University of Singapore and University of Melbourne.
“I have accepted the offer from University of Melbourne to study science and I will be leaving (Malaysia) soon,” said the 20-year-old, who has just completed her A-levels in a private college.
Foong is among many top non-Bumiputera students who applied for but were denied overseas government scholarships. In fact, many of them are upset that those with poorer results were awarded scholarships instead.
The government has been trying to tackle this problem by reducing the Bumiputera quota from about 85 per cent to 56 per cent last year.
Ten years ago, only about 15 per cent of non-Malay students received government scholarships to study abroad. This rose to 44 per cent this year, reflecting closely the population ratios.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently announced a new National Scholarship based on merit to be implemented next year. This will add to existing ones and create more opportunities for high achievers. But there have been mixed reactions to the plan.
The policy is good but the problem always lies with the government's implementation system, noted Educational, Welfare and Research Foundation Malaysia president S.P. Pathi.
He felt that the policy would not stop the brain drain and top students would still choose foreign scholarships.
“As long as they do not improve the implementation system, our top students will continue to be tapped by other countries. If our government can convince our students that the merit-based system prevails, people will flock to our country to study,” Pathi told The Straits Times.
Even under the existing scholarships, poor implementation and a lack of transparency were often cited as reasons why top students fail to receive the scholarship.
Opposition DAP MP Tony Pua, who is part of the party's education committee and runs a blog on education, said this year's complaints had less to do with race but more with the way scholarships were given to those with poorer results in the same ethnic group.
The Public Service Department which hands out the scholarships has never explained the reasons why better-qualified students were rejected.
“I don't get it, I scored 11 A1s and I represented my school in the basketball team but my application was still rejected. But I know of people with poorer results and they got the scholarship,” lamented another top scorer, Hew Yeong Han, now pursuing his A-levels in a private college. The 18-year-old said his mother, a single, would not be able to send him abroad.
Umno has so far welcomed the merit- based scholarship, dispelling any fears that Malays stand to lose out. “Only very short-sighted people and those who did not think hard enough or understand the new announcement will be angry. The Malays do not want to hang on to the golden crutches forever,” Ahmad Ikmal Ismail, a Kedah division vice-chairman, told The Straits Times.
The MCA has also supported the new scholarship but not everyone from the Chinese community is hopeful. “I doubt it is going to work because at the end of the day, it all boils down to race,” Foong said.
But Hew believes the new scholarship is a small step forward for the country. “All this while, Malaysia has been practising the quota system but we will move on with this new liberalisation system. It will take some time before we see improvement.”
He added: “A merit-based policy will encourage people to work harder as it gives everyone an opportunity to compete on a level-playing field.” — Straits Times
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Is it the objective, the concept ,the implementation, or a combination of all ?