Scholarships fiasco inevitable when Najib flip-flops on policy

In the past week, there has been much hue and cry with regards to the scholarships fiasco. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had previously said that all those who obtained 8A+ would be given scholarships. Fullstop. No further elaborations.

This was good news, simple and easy to understand, and all students worked hard in order to achieve the target.

MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong, who is also the deputy Education minister, first raised up the matter concerning the PSD scholarships by claiming that 363 straight A+ students had failed to obtain scholarships despite Prime Minister Najib Razak's promise last year that all students scoring 8A+ and above would secure scholarships.

Then in a press conference held just days ago, Najib rebutted Wee. Najib said he had only promised that all 8A+ students will get government scholarships for local and overseas studies but not everyone will get overseas scholarships.

This means that the scholarships for the top students will comprise of study scholarships for local as well as overseas universities and not overseas universities alone.

In addition to that, the Public Services Department has now come out to say that scholarships are given not based on exam results alone, but also based on the extra-curricular activities and how the students fare in their interviews.

In typical Malaysian slang, the response would be: Aiyah! Why didn't say so earlier?

Malay topscorers with political links also left out

Well, whose fault is it for not spelling it out clearly in the first place? However, one looks at it, it is clear that the BN government has to bear responsibility for it.

PKR MP for Selayang William Leong opined that the selection criteria should have been outlined clearly in the first place so that students and parents know what to expect. But instead, only after a big hoo-ha was raised did the PSD come out to announce the criteria.

William commented that 5,000 years ago in ancient China, where exams were already being held, all the students knew what was required of them in order for them to obtain their scholarships even before entering the examination hall.

This goes back to the issue of transparency, he explained. The whole scholarship project in Malaysia is shrouded in secrecy, especially with regards to the selection criteria and the list of recipients.

William also took MCA to task for not championing the Malays who were left out although they too had very good grades. According to William, there were Malay top scorers from the religious or agama schools who also failed to obtain scholarships.

Many times scholarships are awarded to those who have political connections even though their results may be mediocre. The Malays who are poor and not politically-connected are also left out despite attaining top grades.

Such a simple matter and yet so much confusion

Meanwhile, MCA has handed a report to Najib on 364 cases that needed review, advising that these topscorers be given scholarships to study overseas.

MCA president Chua Soi Lek also mentioned that 82 students with 9A+ in core subjects, who were originally offered scholarships only for diploma courses, should also be offered overseas degree scholarships or at least a local degree scholarship.

Najib's reply was that students offered scholarships for diploma courses were still eligible for degree scholarships but the diploma courses were offered because they were what the universities themselves had put up.

The PM added that the government will guarantee to sponsor students who want to pursue their studies with a degree scholarship.

But whether we study overseas, study locally, and whatever the selection criteria, the point is the whole fiasco erupted due to a lack of clarity in spelling out the terms and conditions in the first place.

This was what gave rise to ambiguity among the students and parents and in turn caused a lot of heartache and confusion.

Sad to say, it is the same drama year in, year out with no one coming up with any clear-cut solutions to end the mess. Is it intentional and why?

"The BN government should be pro-active and once and for all be transparent in the whole process by coming out with clear, concise and complete terms and conditions of the selection criteria for all to see," added William.

But until that happens, this annual drama is taking up too much time and energy from all Malaysians, especially the bright and deserving students who have no choice but to go through the rigmarole of going here and there to see this person and that person just to obtain a scholarship that they have already qualified for.

Talking about social contracts. The students have performed their parts. They sacrificied, concentrated and studied. Then in the last lap, they did not let themselves or the nation down. They actually got the As.

But did the BN - especially Najib and Muhyiddin - do their parts or did they just talk a lot? - Malaysia Chronicle