Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Last year, only 72 Indian students (it was 34 initially) were selected. with nearly 190 others appealing via MIC (187 students, three had scored 12 A1s, seven (11 A1s), 68 (10 A1s), 66 (9 A1s) and 43 (8A1s) in the 2007 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
Do we remember Kamine Devi who scored 10A1s?
PSD said 13A1 was the cutoff for the overseas scholarships. Last year 15,217 applications were received, out of which 7,253 were called for interview.
900 places went to normal students while 1100 taken by privileged community.
This year, my blog registered comments from few students who got rejected.
MCA and Gerakan has started the ball rolling:
MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong has lambasted the Public Service Department (PSD) on the awarding of overseas scholarships for top scorers, Sin Chew Daily and China Press reported.
Dr Wee, who is also the Deputy Education Minister, said the MCA Youth has requested MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and three other MCA ministers to bring the matter to the Cabinet today.
This was to ascertain the procedure and criteria of awarding scholarships to students to study overseas, Dr Wee said after receiving complaints from two students, one with 14 1As and the other 13 1As, that they did not get overseas scholarships but were offered local matriculation courses instead.
Dr Wee said their friends who scored 9 1As were offered scholarships to study overseas.
He urged the PSD to be clear in its guidelines on awarding overseas scholarships.
Gerakan Youth secretary-general Dr Dominic Lau, commenting on five top scorers from Malacca who were denied overseas scholarships, also told Sin Chew that the wing was willing to offer help to students who were rejected by the PSD.
He also said the PSD should consider reviewing students who were turned down to give them a chance to pursue their studies overseas.
Even if they were rejected, an explanation should be given to them, said Dr Lau.
SMJK Sam Tet principal Phang Yoon Ming was also quoted by Sin Chew as saying that it seems to be more difficult to secure overseas scholarships from the PSD this year.
Phang said about 10 students had approached him to sign appeal letters.
At least some of them got places in matriculation!
So, what would it be this year? How many get and how many didn’t? This year also no transparency. No list for public to check on those who received – whether really chosen according to the criteria or not. With minimum cut off of 13A1s, it will be a heartache for those who scored between 8 and 12As as they have no choice but to do STPM, if not selected for local IPTA foundation or matriculation programmes. Those from well to do families can opt for private education. How about others? Can imagine 8As student doing diploma in politechnic (no offense but it shows the level of competition nowadays)? Those days, 4 or 5As were meaningful. Now 8As is common like pisang goreng stall along roadside.
So, while I wait for MIC’s report on Indian students, time to go find something to eat…hungry!!!
