‘Stop scholarships to students from vernacular schools’

Perkasa is courting yet another controversy with its latest call to the government to further tighten the conditions for scholarships to non-Malays.

PETALING JAYA: Malay rights group, Perkasa has suggested that the government limit its Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships ‘strictly’ to non-Malay students who have completed their education ‘exclusively in national school’s.

In making this call Perkasa secretary general, Syed Hassan Syed Ali said it would be unfair to award scholarships to students whose parents have no faith in the national education system.

He urged the government to make this a condition for those wanting to apply for scholarships from the Malaysian government.

“Non-bumiputra parents who want their children to obtain national and PSD scholarships should place them in a national school from standard one until Form 5.

“Parents who don’t trust the nations school system and send their children to vernacular schools should not ask for scholarships from the government.

“They should ask for scholarships from the Indian and Chinese based fundations and corporate companies instead,” Syed Hussein said alluding to the Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools in the country.

According to Wikipedia there are some 60 Chinese schools in Malaysia offering secondary education, some 23 of these schools are in East Malaysia.

Primary level Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools in the country are government-aided.

Courting controversy

Syed Hussein said the 300 seats (which includes the bumiputras) set aside for national and PSD scholarships should be given based on merit.

He was commenting on the controversy over scholarships following Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong’s disclosure, last month, that 363 straight A+ students failed to obtain PSD scholarships.

The disclosure led to a spate between Wee and Minister in Prime Minister’s Department, Nazri Aziz.

On June 1, following public outcry, Nazri announced that 86 additional PSD scholarships will be disbursed.

He also said that the balance students who applied for scholarships would have to go through twinning programmes locally.

Nazri said in addition, other government GLCs and the 1Malaysia Development Board were also 500 places for students who had achieved 9A+ and 8A+.

Perkasa has in the past insisted that allocations for vencular schools be reduced and more funds be channeled to national schools.

Perkasa has alleged that claims by the Chinese and Indian community for equal treatment was seditious and contravened the Federal Constitution.