PSD scholarship issue resolved

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has resolved the controversy over the 86 students who failed to obtain Public Service Department (PSD) overseas scholarships by offering them scholarships to pursue degrees of their choice at local private higher education institutions.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said this included twinning degrees, where students start their degrees at a local institution before completing their studies at a foreign partner university.

“These students are 9A+ scorers who did not receive scholarships for either overseas study or disciplines of their choice,” he told reporters at Parliament after announcing the Cabinet decision yesterday (see chart).

He added that the scholarships would cost the Government RM26.1mil.

“The initial PSD offers amounted to RM14.8mil, but if we were to send all 86 students overseas it would cost us RM52.1mil,” he said.

On Tuesday, Nazri, together with MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and MIC deputy president Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, submitted an appeal on behalf of the 86 PSD scholarship applicants who failed to get places to study overseas.

Nazri said the Cabinet had also agreed to allocate places in matriculation programmes for the 67 9A+ and 103 8A+ scorers who were offered diploma courses.

“The Cabinet has also agreed to offer students specialised matriculation programmes as per previous years,’’ he said, adding that procedures for PSD scholarships awarded in the future would also be reviewed.

“Since we have an increasing number of top scorers each year, we need to look at how we can sustain the scholarship scheme,” he said.

“The result of the review will be announced some time this year so students will know what to expect.”

On another matter, Nazri said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had asked him to meet with representatives of Barisan Nasional component parties for names of students who obtained less than 8A+ as the 1Malaysia Development Board (1MDB) will award an additional 500 scholarships for local studies.

MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who was at the meeting, thanked Najib and his fellow Cabinet members.

“With this, we have resolved this issue and students who have got A+ for all subjects will be duly awarded a scholarship,” he said at his office yesterday.

Source: The Star Online