DAP lawmaker Teresa Kok also wants the Public Service Department to explain why a student with 11A+ has not been given a scholarship under the South Korea, France and Germany Special Programme.
PETALING JAYA: DAP’s Teresa Kok wants to know why the academic requirements for the Public Service Department (PSD) overseas scholarship programme are less stringent than those for the domestic scholarship programme.
In a statement today, she pointed out that the overseas scholarship programme required only 7 As while the domestic scholarship programme demanded 9 A+.
She asked Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department S K Devamany, who had confirmed the requirements in the Dewan Rakyat on April 5, to explain the difference in the conditions.
She was referring to a PSD initiative known as the Japan, South Korea, France and Germany (JKPJ) Special Programme, announced on March 19. Under the programme, sponsorship is extended to 200 outstanding students to pursue engineering studies in those countries.
The Seputeh MP also asked Devamany to explain why Ipoh top scorer Teh Xin Yi had failed in her application for the JKPJ Special Programme.
Three days ago, The Star had reported Teh’s disappointment upon learning that she was not among the 200 successful applicants for the scholarship.
According to the report, Teh had applied for the JKPJ Special Programme and the National Sponsorship Programme (NSP). However, she had been turned down for both, despite obtaining 11 A+ .
“Devamany and PSD must explain how she failed in her application when there are 200 scholarship places under the JKPJ Special Programme and Teh is one of the 102 students who had scored all A+ in all subjects taken in the 2016 SPM examination,” Kok said.