Wee said 363 deserving students had missed out on PDS scholarships this year. — file pic
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong revealed last week that 363 straight A+ students failed to get the scholarships this year although Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had agreed that all students scoring 8A+ and above will receive the PSD scholarships after a similar brouhaha last year.
“The Public Service Department (PSD) has failed to follow the Cabinet directives. The PSD must realise that high achievers are assets to the country,” MIC’s Datuk SK Devamany, deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said in a statement.
“MIC wants an independent committee to investigate the scholarship distribution,” he added.
Devamany said the MIC wants an independent probe on the issue.
“Many excellent students were given matriculation or diploma scholarships when they deserve scholarships for a degree programme of their choice.
“The selection criteria should be reviewed to end complaints about injustices of the awards so that it is in line with 1 Malaysia concept and Government’s Transformation Programme,” the deputy minister said.
The issue cropped up last year when the 1,500 scholarships from the PSD were said to have been unfairly distributed. The PSD scholarship programme consists of two schemes, namely the Overseas Undergraduate Scholarship Programme (PILN) and the Local Undergraduate Scholarship Programme (PIDN).
Najib took the decision this year for a problem-free distribution of scholarships by instructing the PSD to work with national oil firm Petronas and strategic development firm 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to provide safety nets to ensure no deserving Malaysian student was deprived of a scholarship.
But Wee, who is also the MCA Youth chief, reportedly said last Wednesday that government officers who disobeyed Cabinet directives were one of the main reasons why top deserving students failed to get scholarships.
Devamany revealed that 367 students had approached him for help to appeal for scholarships, with 200 of them complaining about unfair selection criteria by the PSD. The other 167 were rejected for matriculation programmes although they scored 6As and 7As, he said.
“Many of them were from poor families and a few underprivileged students from hardcore poor families,” he added.
Najib had set up Talent Corporation to lure back skilled Malaysians abroad for jobs offered by multinational firms keen to set up in Malaysia. Despite the move, which has received tepid response, allies within Najib’s ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition have said scholarships should be given out to all deserving students without any racial quotas.
But BN parties say the PSD ignored the Cabinet directive by giving out scholarships to those who scored below those who passed with distinctions.
The scholarships offered are based on academic achievements, involvement in co-curriculum activities, socio-economic background of the families and the candidate’s performance during an interview session.
MIC secretary-general S. Murugesan also urged students who scored 9 A+ in the SPM but failed to win PSD scholarships to approach his party by Monday.
“Complaints which were forwarded through the MIC’s deputy ministers will be compiled and escalated to the relevant government agency for their urgent attention,” said Murugesan in a statement yesterday.
Murugesan echoed Wee’s remarks and said he felt “the officers at the administrative level are not being helpful”.
The MIC man also urged the government to provide equal opportunities to all races to study overseas.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ordered the PSD last Friday to investigate complaints that some SPM top scorers were not offered scholarships.
Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, has stressed that his ministry was not to blame as its list of scholarship candidates had already been forwarded.
The DAP questioned how the government could make a “silly” mistake in not granting scholarships to top students despite spending billions on information technology.
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