What does the word scholarship mean?
Does it mean proving that you are good enough at everything in life and all of living? Or, is it establishing that you are a responsible citizen who knows how to focus on priorities for the sake of both personal and national progress, demonstrated at the young age of 17? Or, does it mean you can do what you like and establish that you are superior to the many in your vintage, although, only by Malaysian standards, or by less than fair means? Let me rephrase the same questions and give them some more context.
You have student A who sits for 17 subjects in the SPM exam, and gets A1s in every subject. Or you have student B who takes 10 subjects and gets all A1s but is also a head-prefect, a student group elected president, and a state level sportsman? Or, thirdly, you are a student who does the minimum nine subjects, does his best in all of them and gets 7As and 2Bs, but has also been on a federal government assistance programme wherein you do not live in the city but operate in a public hostel and are bused in to school every morning under a special bumiputera assistance programme. You definitely come from a poorer home and your father is a fisherman.
Given the above hypothetical scenario, of the three Malaysian students, who should be regarded the ‘real scholar’ and awarded the prestigious JPA ‘scholarship’ award to pursue studies overseas under the Malaysian Federal Government for a course of their first choice? Every year JPA awards about 2000 such scholarships from about the 350,000 who sit for the SPM. That is less than 1%. Who then should be regarded as the top 1%? In the older days such scholarships were called the Colombo Plan Scholarships Awards, or the many others that could be named. But can we review the basics definitions about what and who is truly a Malaysian scholar; especially under our 1Malaysia vision?
Wikipedia defines the word scholar through “the scholarly method” as “the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as valid and trustworthy as possible, and to make them known to the scholarly public. In its broadest sense, scholarship can be taken to include the scientific method, which is the body of scholarly practice that governs the sciences.” To me, the scholar must begin on this journey of scientific discovery, if they are to be any use to the nation in the future. So, how then should we establish the above method for the JPA awards to define a scholar? In a previous column, I had suggested one way forward, but it may have fallen on deaf ears.
No real reason for an interview
First, one needs to understand what JPA uses as the minimum qualifications to qualify for the JPA scholarships. I hear it is or may be only 8A1s. That too may be based on specified courses; and exclude many “external courses.” This can therefore be an objective criterion and if someone, regardless who it is, does not get this minimum, they should not be considered. My fear is JPA does not implement this blind objectivity. Therefore all those with minimum 8A1s should be positively short-listed, and a simple computer programme can do this with almost zero errors.
Second, maybe, one should consider the background of parents, especially based on their family income. Again this can become an objective measure and anyone below the cut-off line can and must be considered. Third can be a student’s extracurricular activities. Again the point system for this not-so-subjective measure can be; by levels of achievement.
First there is school level activities; including being elected into various offices, recognising that all officers can be considered to have served to learn. Next level could be state level activities. In sport this would include representing the state in some sports or athletics programme. In uniformed bodies, it could be holding office at the state level or finally at the national level. If someone wins a debating or elocution contest at the national level it must be recognised and not ignored, for no one gets to that level or standard of performance without the hard work and requisite discipline. But, again if one is very objective about all this, it is quite easy to award marks for this quite objectively.
Frankly, to my mind, there is no real reason for an interview at all unless one wants to impose some quite arbitrary and subjective criteria. The interview is only to verify the authenticity of documentation and person. To me, one can review students for JPA scholarships quite objectively and professionally, but there must be both political will and technical skill to do this well. Transparency is and can be a good and proper way to go! Why not try this again and see how the results work out.
Every year, during this month it is complaints time for all who are unsuccessful for the JPA scholarships. Why is there so much uncertainty and ambiguity towards the process? To me, the reasons are simply the lack of transparency and openness. JPA is maybe the source of these problems, not the students who apply nor the parents who have high hopes. When my 21-year-old finished SPM; although he had 11As, not all were A1s. He did not have a minimum of 8A1s, and so I told him not to apply. No heart-break and false hopes for us and I think my son too learned something from the experience; that being an all-rounder can be good but it may not be good enough in terms of JPA scholarships. His cousin with 9A1s got a JPA scholarship. My son is not a failure but now he has in fact been admitted to a very prestigious university in the US and he is well on the way to also make a success of himself.
Scholarships in 1Malaysia
What is the JPA scholarship then? How do we make all Malaysians look up to and become proud of this JPA brand and award? For one, it must become an award which is administered openly and transparently. In fact the criteria should be put up on the internet and we should allow students to self-score and know if they can make it. If we are serious about 1Malaysia, and about promoting meritocracy, there cannot be any double standards or close one-eye culture. After all MARA does exist and does give out thousands of scholarships almost entirely based on needs. These are currently reserved for only bumiputera students and can service such good and deserving students. JPA scholarships must be confined to maintain its brand and name.
The final step of scholarship realisation must come from our students gaining admission into the best colleges in US, Canada, UK or Australia or New Zealand, or Russia or Indonesia or India or whatever country there are other programmes. The JPA scholarship is only the point of being awarded a paper that says you can go! To actually go, one must gain admission to the best schools in the world! Excellence must mean just that. JPA scholarships must be the framework to train and nurture world class Malaysians, nothing less.
One criteria that all very competitive American universities look for is leadership and all round activities, including one’s ability for good teamwork. Square academic-types and nerds need not always qualify. I think it is relevant the cabinet to review the actual meaning of scholarship and consider how the real meaning of a 1Malaysia can be practically translated.
1Malaysia must define meritocracy. It must make for 1Malaysia; not for 2 or 3 diverse Malaysias wherein the sun shines differently on different people. Let us wait and see the Cabinet’s definition of scholarship towards realising a 1Malaysia.
