Role of MCA in scholarship

To be fair, not many people are aware of the role played by MCA in helping to secure more JPA scholarship for non-Malays in the Cabinet since 2000. Before 2000, every year, the number of scholarship given to non-Malays can be counted in one hand. This year, non-Malays have gone up to nearly 900. This progress has not been easy and often after the SPM and STPM result, MCA will monitor closely deserving students with good result whom should be given scholarship. Even individual cases were discussed in Cabinet.

Of course, one can argue that if selection has been fair, there is no need to involve the Cabinet to solve individual cases. In short, there have been tremendous improvement in fighting for scholarship but there are still rooms for improvement. The process of selection, especially interview should be made more transparent. Often, students with excellent academic result may not necessarily do well in interview and co-curricular activities, but it is important that the government should impress the rakyat that these 20 marks allocated for these 2 activities is not used as subtle ways to knock out deserving non-Malay students.

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华社向来非常关注华裔领袖，尤其是马华公会如何处理影响华社的课题，而教育和奖学金是大家极之重视的两项课题。

平心而论，一直以来少之又少的人真正了解马华在争取和保留公共服务局予非土著奖学金名额方面，所扮演的角色以及所下的功夫。2000年之前，公共服务局每年颁予非土著的奖学金名额寥寥无几。今年，成功获得该奖学金的非土著生高达900人，这不是垂手既得的成果。

每每SPM和STPM考试成绩放榜，马华组织就开始留意和收集全国优秀生、奖学金申请者名单，并开设辅导管道提有关供升学的种种协助。马华甚至将优秀生落选奖学金的个案带入内阁会议讨论，确保应获颁奖学金的申请者能如愿以偿。

当然，您会认为，如果整个遴选机制是公平合理的，这些个案又何须惊动内阁？

奖学金机构的运作固有不足，我同意还有许多弊端极需纠正，不过，不能因机制的缺陷而否决了马华公会过去所做的努力。我曾经多次强调，政府机构奖学金的遴选程序，尤其是面试一环应该更透明化。一般上，品学兼优的学生不一定是个课外活动能手，也未必能在面试环节表现标青（据了解这是非土著生主要的考验）。但有关当局必须让人民相信，20％分数的面试评估是一项公正的遴选标准，而不是用来淘汰非土著申请者的杀手锏。