Press Statement
by DAP MP for Kota Melaka, Kerk Kim Hock
in Petaling Jaya
on Thursday, June 13, 2002
Two days ago, Sin Chew Jit Poh reported that a SPM high achiever from Chung Ling High School who had scored 10A1s and 2 A2s in last year's SPM was unsuccessful in her application for the PSD overseas scholarship.
She revealed that she had received a letter from the PSD on 10.6.2002 informing her that her application was unsuccessful. This was despite the fact that in the earlier telephone enquiries made by her and her parents, they had been thrice informed by the PSD that her application was successful and that the PSD scholarship approval was for her first choice of pharmacy.
There have been earlier cases where students openly complained that they have been told that they have been unsuccessful in their applications due to their unsatisfactory performance in the oral interview.
Students have said that the interview only constitutes 15 % of the overall evaluation .As such, if an applicant fails because of the interview, one must certainly question whether unnecessary overemphasis has been placed on the interview?
Previously, some SPM high achievers have failed to gain places in the local universities due to their losing out in points when their extracurricular activities were taken as a criterion. I understand that this criterion has subsequently been dropped after there was a public outcry over the issue last year.
I have also received a complaint from someone who said d that his relative who has scored 10 A1s and 2 A2s in the SPM has failed to obtain the JPA scholarship. Upon enquiry, the applicant was informed that he failed because he did not obtain A1s in all the subjects taken Failing an applicant on such a ground immediately raises the question that is it not a 10A1 and 2A2 better than 9A1? Is it fair to penalize an applicant who has taken more subjects?
Given the public doubt and unhappiness, I call on the PSD to immediately publish the overseas scholarship selection process and criteria.