Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, chairman of the Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia, said the speech which went viral showed that the ratios should be gradually tweaked towards absolute meritocracy as affirmative action meets its target in closing the socio-economic gap.
“Students who excel should be rewarded regardless of their ethnicity. But aside from government scholarships there are also those from the corporate sector, foundations, alumnis and philanthropists which are available for deserving students,” she told FMT.
At the same time, she added, all Malaysians should move away from the feeling of being entitled to handouts.
Noor Azimah said there were also foreign avenues for scholarships and other ways to raise funds to study, adding that those who did not make the academic cut but wanted to further their studies should look at other options.
“Foreign universities, bursaries and part-time work or sports scholarships are some of the options.”
Noor Azimah was commenting on the speech by Royal Education Award winner M Nahvin, 23, during his graduation ceremony at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka recently. She said it was the right platform to raise the issue although many would not agree with her.
In his speech which went viral and was widely reported, Nahvin who graduated with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science (artificial intelligence), drew attention to the lack of meritocracy in the Malaysian education system.
He cited an example of his friend who obtained SPM results which were nearly as good as his but failed to get a place for matriculation. His friend was extremely frustrated and lost all hope.
“When I entered the matriculation course, I was shocked to find others there with much lower qualifications compared to my friend. My friend, who is no more, would be the one delivering this speech if he had been given the opportunity,” he said.
Nahvin said the episode was not just about his friend but a common occurrence experienced by the minority community in the country.
Royal Education Awards are handed out annually to two students at each of the 20 public universities. The award itself is based on race – one award for a Bumiputera student and another for others.
Rich students should reject scholarships
Noor Azimah said it would help if parents who have deep pockets discourage their children from accepting scholarships even if awarded.
“There are many other equally deserving students who, with that scholarship, can actually turn around the quality of life for their families. It may even be a first in the extended family or even kampung to be able to be accepted into a university.
“In the end, it is about building the nation together. No man is an island.”