Scholarships? Yeah Right…

This is the sort of thing that is in danger of being swept under the carpet – yet another piece of news that will soon, if not already, lost its momentum - I am referring to the JPA scholarship (or lack thereof) fiasco. Let’s not just use this as fodder to accompany teh tarik talk – we need to seriously do something about this and it can start with something as simple as letters and emails to the apparent powers that be.

A scholarship is an award of access to an institution, or a financial aid award for an individual student scholar, for the purpose of furthering their education. Scholarships are awarded based on a range of criteria which usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award. But nowadays the line which separates the deserving and the not quite is terribly blurred.

It is therefore perfectly understandable why so many are incensed over the issue – that the manner in which scholarships are awarded is inconsistent and in many ways unfair. In an age where there is so much talk of equality and doing what’s right under the pretext of championing students’ rights, the Lee Jia Hui episode couldn’t have come at a better time.

Lee Jia Hui - He’s the one who obtained an offer from Harvard University but whose scholarship application was rejected by local organizations. In addition to Harvard, Lee has also received offers from Princeton, Dartmouth and Cornell, as well as a Wesleyan Asian Freeman Scholarship. How does one make sense of something like that?

The image of most scholarships given out in Malaysia is one that is very academic driven. What’s the use of getting A’s all the time, when you don’t have other skills to compliment it? Getting great grades does not always translate to confidence in presenting oneself or even the ability to communicate well. At first it was 5As, then 9As, on to 10As, and I’ve lost count as to how many A’s does a student require in order to get a scholarship?

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not in any way saying that education isn’t important but would like to stress that it should also take into serious consideration other areas such as co-curriculum and community service. If the students are guided properly by their educators in the areas of sports and social responsibility, they will be truly holistic individuals not just “machines” churning As.

I studied in the United States of America and it was here I discovered that learning was a breeze and credits much of this to the nurturing nature of the American approach to education. Most of it is founded on a prospectus revolving around the liberal arts and sciences, in which the scope and intensity of study areas are considered equally important.

In response to what’s happened, the ATCEN International Group will be launching the ATCEN Education Fund in 2009 focusing on students who have a great attitude towards learning, self-development and the drive to succeed.

If certain quarters involved in the process of selecting candidates for scholarships say they are fully aware of what a scholarship means and who it should deservedly go to, then they had better do a more convincing job at making us believe they do. The Malaysian education system can be sound and fertile if only its processes were a little more thought out. Undoubtedly, there are individuals within it who are striving for what’s best for these students – but perhaps they should be speaking to those directly involved in it – the students themselves. This episode is an opportunity to set some things right – the most important of which is to make the candidate selection process fair and transparent.