Overseas Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships should only be given to applicants who get into the very best universities on their own merit.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said having straight A’s should not be enough as applicants should be subjected to rigorous psychometric tests and interviews to see whether they are suitable.
“Perhaps the PSD should study how Singapore awards its Public Service Commission scholarships, which required applicants to go through multiple interviews and is not automatic.
“If we have a clear policy about overseas scholarships for our undergraduates, limit the places and clearly say which universities and what courses are considered, then I feel it can help solve the current controversy concerning the scholarships,” he said yesterday.
Khairy said people with straight A’s should not feel that they are entitled to scholarships.
“It is a privilege,” he added.
However, he agreed that there are many cases of eligible people who had been overlooked.
“The system must be improved. Let us have a policy where it’s clear the PSD scholarships for undergraduates going overseas are only for the top universities and for critical courses,” he said.
Khairy said not all straight A’s candidates deserved full scholarships in courses of their choice.
The PSD has been ordered to investigate complaints that some SPM top scorers were not offered scholarships.
There were also reports stating that the PSD had failed to award scholarships to top students.
A total of 4,298 unsuccessful candidates appealed last year and 1,218 of them had at least 9A+.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said recently the Government never promised overseas scholarships for all top students.Malay extremist group, Perkasa, wants the Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships for overseas first-degree programmes scrapped.
Its chief, Ibrahim Ali, said: “The cost of funding a student overseas is equivalent to funding two to three students locally. Overseas scholarships should be given for post-graduates studies in disciplines that are not available locally.”
“That’s why Perkasa is proposing that scholarships for overseas first-degree programmes be scrapped,” he added.
Ibrahim also urged the PSD not to give in to BN component parties MCA and MIC in disbursing scholarships.
“It is a government matter. MCA and MIC must not disrupt the PSD. Umno and its Youth wing never disturbed the PSD though many Bumiputera students failed to secure scholarships.”
Ibrahim also took Deputy Education Minister and MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong to task for saying Chinese support for BN has eroded due to government’s failure to provide scholarships.
“What about the Malays who fail to get scholarships?” asked Ibrahim.
“As far as I know, Malays who failed to obtain scholarships still support the government. But for some races, they are not supportive even when they are given scholarships. Similarly, the shift in support for MIC is also small,” Ibrahim said.
Political mileage
The perennial controversy over the award of PSD scholarships resurfaced last week when Wee claimed that 363 straight A+ students failed to get scholarships this year.
This is despite the pledge recently made by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that all students scoring 8A+ and above will receive the PSD scholarships.
Yesterday, Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz defended the PSD and took Wee to task for claiming there was abuse of power in the award of government scholarships.
He said Wee was using the issue to gain political mileage and challenged Wee to furnish proof of his claims.
The PSD scholarships fall under two primary categories: the overseas degree programme for 1,500 selected students and the local degree programme for 2,500 applicants.
:
Take for example, IIT-JEE topper I Prudhvi Tej. As many as six educational institutions __ four schools and two private colleges__staked claim to his success included those where he completed his primary and secondary education in Gudiwada, Krishna district. Two junior colleges too claimed that Prudhvi Tej coached with them.
Tej obliged each of them, lending his pictures and donning their uniforms to pose for their advertisements. He says he was aware that all the six institutions were using his name for endorsements but promptly adds that he has no qualms about it. "I did it for free,'' he claimed.
Topper factories in the state pay a price ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, to students who make it to the top ten ranks in various competitive entrance examinations including IIT-JEE to endorse their brand.
The rate chart for toppers goes like this: Class X toppers lend their names for Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. For an Intermediate topper the price hovers around Rs 7 lakh and the most expensive of all, IIT-JEE toppers are paid anywhere between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh for a brand endorsement. This year's SSC topper P Venkata Sai too had his name used by two educational institutions.
Sources say that each of the top ranking students get three to four offers on result day. "The parents choose the most lucrative offer and stick to it. The public never gets to know where the topper was actually enrolled. The highest bidder gets the deal," an educational activist rued.
And it is not just the top ten rank holders who get offers. "Each of the corporate institutions claim that they have bagged 80 to 90 ranks in the top 100. To increase the number of rank holders who have to be named under their institutions, any topper who has scored within the top 100 ranks are influenced and bought," a source averred.
In the case of IIT-JEE, sources say that the lobbying starts much before the examination. "Coaching centres go scouting for students who perform well in the IIT-JEE mock entrance held by Chukka Ramaiah in Hyderabad. They book the top performers there itself by paying an advance ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 4 lakh. The rest of the money is paid after the student gets the rank," a source revealed. All five rank holders from the state admitted to the fact that they had cleared Ramaiah's entrance test conducted every year in Hyderabad.
Poaching of toppers begins soon after the ranks are announced, particularly if they are from institutions which are less popular. Colleges even strike deals to "share'' toppers, each paying a certain amount to the topper. Often, the deal is struck with the help of brokers and lobbyists who also get a 25 per cent cut. In some cases, the remuneration to the lobbyists is made in terms of material benefits including cars and bikes.
The money is well spent for coaching centres. After all, for a topper crazy state where fresh admissions to schools and colleges are done on the basis of previous year's "performance", the toppers of IIT, inter and SSC examinations are preferred brand endorsers.
She always wanted to be a doctor. P Heamanthaa burned the midnight oil for her SPM exams and her diligence and hard work paid off.
The schoolgirl from SMK Tuanku Jaafar in Seremban scored 10A+ and 1A in SPM. She thought her dream of becoming a doctor was about to be realised. She confidently applied to PSD for a scholarship in medicine.
But with one letter PSD shattered her dreams. She received the letter informing her that she only qualified for the PSD scholarship in Diploma in English at University Perguruan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Tanjong Malim.
A stunned Heamanthaa said: “I was saddened and did not sleep the whole night”.
Now she is requesting that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak take a personal interest in her case and grant her a Public Service Department (PSD) overseas scholarship in the medical field.
“Why am I am not qualified for the medical course despite scoring 10A+?” she asked.
Heamanthaa is the eldest in her family. Her father is a health product seller and her mother is a primary school teacher.
She is one of the top students in her school and she represented the state and district levels in hockey and athletics.
She was also among 13 students from Malaysia who participated in women’s football exchange programme held in the United States.
She said she would not continue her studies in Diploma in English if the government rejects her appeal.
Scrap the interview system
Scrap the interview system
Meanwhile Malaysian Indian Student Association (MISA) president Kishur Goonasaran urged the federal government to do away with the PSD interview to choose the students for the merit quotas.According to Kishur, interviews can lead to discrimination and abuse of power.
“We do not understand why the PSD is still keeping the interview system. They should award all top scorers who meet the government requirement of 8A+ and above .
According to Minister in the PM’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, the total number of scholarships offered are 4,000, of which 1,500 are for overseas and 2,500 for local universities.
From the 1,500 scholarships on offer, 300 are awarded under merit, 900 based on racial composition, 150 to Sabah and Sarawak bumiputeras while the balance of 150 are given to the socially disadvantaged.
Kishur said the government must give first priority to the 700 students who scored 8As.
“So, why has the PSD refused to award the 700 students overseas scholarships? ” he asked.
“A total of 8857 students applied for scholarships. And we do not know how many of them are awarded scholarship?”
In another development MIC leaders held a special meeting at party headquarters today to discuss the scholarship issue. It is learnt that MIC has received more than 400 complaints in the last few days.
No comments:
Post a Comment