“Representatives from Barisan Nasional’s component parties such as MCA, MIC and Gerakan who wanted to bring up appeals by students had been informed of the meeting,” the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was quoted saying by The Star today.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak maintained his administration never promised overseas scholarships for all SPM top scorers following last year’s furore on the same issue.
Instead, he said he had then pledged that students with results of 8A+ and better would be given scholarships to attend either local or foreign universities.
He also added students offered scholarships for diploma courses would still be eligible for study aid when they later pursue their degrees.
“I hope that all parties will be present and as requested by [the] prime minister, all appeals would be deliberated and a decision made in front of representatives of political parties,” Nazri said today.
Earlier this week, Nazri said the government had allocated 1,500 overseas scholarships to top students, but only 300 of the total were given based entirely on merit to students scoring straight 9A+.
The remaining 1,200 overseas grants, he said, were distributed according to those qualified within four categories — Sabah Bumiputeras (five per cent), Sarawak Bumiputeras (five per cent), social composition or the population’s racial composition (60 per cent) and socially handicapped (10 per cent)
Yesterday, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said all top scorers should be sent to study abroad, before calling for a review of the racial quota in the PSD scholarship awards.
