Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Exhibit scholarship recipients

Each year around this period of time there will be many heartbreaks. It's not due to the breakoff of love affairs or the passing of love ones but receiving letters from Public Service Department (PSD) that begins with "dengan dukacitanya dimaklumkan".

Yup, those rejected straight "As" aspirants youths of the nation whom achieved excellent results for their SPM that has expected a scholarship to study overseas from the PSD was the heartbroken ones. With just 2,000 scholarships available, it is just not enough to cater to so many applicants.

It is just not possible for all qualified applicants to be given a scholarship but it is not acceptable that those with much better grades lost out due to low points obtained during interviews which transparency is questionable and decisions can be influenced due to human weaknesses.

So what's the problem for the government to exhibit publicly the lists of those selected for the scholarships with full results of their SPM, points obtained for interviews, co-curricular activities, area of origin and course of study applied for? Let the rejected applicants sees for themselves if there are any truth in the suspicion that their so called "rights" of scholarship had been given to other less qualified applicants due selective human bias or discrimination.

Isn't meritocracy, tranparency, integrity and fairness to all the clarion call of the government? Did I miss anything or is it the government has been sleeping on the job?

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