JPA offers 4,000 scholarships to SPM holders

Written by Bernama
Monday, 13 June 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Service Department (PSD) has offered 1,500 scholarships under the overseas degree programme (PILN) and 2,500 scholarships under the local degree programme (PIDN) for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2010 holders. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said on Monday, June 13 882 Bumiputera students and 618 non-Bumiputera students received the scholarships under the PILN.

For the local degree programme this year, 1,301 Bumiputera students and 1,199 non-Bumiputera students received scholarships, he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat, here. Nazri said the 10 per cent allocation for Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera students remained, with 75 from Sabah offered scholarships for studies overseas under this category. Besides that, he said, Sabah's students were offered study sponsorship overseas under the Academic Excellence category, bringing the total number of Sabah students sponsored under the PILN in 2011 to 77.

"The government has allocated RM1.44 billion for PSD sponsorship this year of SPM 2010 holders, with RM0.36 billion of the sum for studies at local higher learning institutions and RM1.08 billion for studies abroad." Nazri said among the reasons for many excellent students not being offered scholarships to study overseas was the increased number of top scorers and imited government funds.

"There were also many bright students choosing popular fields of study like medicine and engineering compared to arts and science, causing them not being offered scholarships to study overseas as the offer also depends on the public sector and country's manpower needs. "The PSD will review and improve the existing policy in the future to avoid the scholarship offers from becoming an issue each year."