JPA Scholarships: A Billion Ringgit Throwaway?



Application for JPA Scholarships will be accessible again starting 9 April. The Government has mentioned sponsoring usually students upon acceptance in to tip universities as good as Hafidzi feels it's an critical consideration. He wonders, however, when this will actually take outcome as he analyzes a need for such a provision to be implemented as soon as possible.
A total of 559 candidates performed tall distinctions as good as 10,803 scored straight A's in a subjects they sat for in a Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) hearing in 2011, according to a Education Ministry director-general Datuk Seri Abdul Ghafar Mahmud.
Statistics upon SPM formula have never been disappointing; in fact, they might be a usually ones display positive signs in a unsatisfactory inhabitant arena, be it in politics, economics or social issues. The reality is, some-more students have been removing straight A's year after year. Perhaps a towering series of well-developed students might explain since Muhyiddin suddenly theorized which a preparation complement is improved than which of a US as good as UK.
Ah, how smashing to see relatives jubilant over their children's results:
Of course I am, my son has never scored A's in Additional Mathematics, Physics, as good as Chemisty; in fact, regard a Lord which he scored straight A's!
What a happy ending. In fact, I'll gamble everyone is expecting a tale of tutorial value to continue. But reason on, a dear Prime Minister has usually topsy-turvy his process of giving JPA scholarships; now, they're accessible to students with 8A's as good as above, not 9A's. How magnanimous! How confident!
Malaysians, for a sake of a country, wake up please!
Isn't it alarming which a preparation statistics have been re! flecting a rapid rise in A's being scored as good as zero else for a past 10 years? In a past, there seemed to be some-more approval for high-scorers than today. However, a trend of doubt appears to be rising between scholarship interviewers as good as employers who're commencement to subject a credibility of these well-developed students.

A for excellence? | Photo: Zulkifli Ersal | Source: http://bit.ly/HmQ9fJ
What only does this rise in numbers mean?Are a students removing smarter, interjection to their dedicated teachers? Their own amount attention in class?Or have been a students simply some-more prepared due to a most general practice questions accessible in bookstores as good as during fee centers?Is there additionally a probability which a grading complement has become some-more kindly compared to years ago?
These have been issues which contingency be taken in to account especially in gauging excellence.Sure, these students do work hard. And it's usually advantageous for us to reward them with scholarships to safeguard a smoothness in their success given they're a tellurian collateral for a modern Malaysia. There's no denying that. But a emanate here involves billions in outflow of public money. Therefore it's additionally fair to weigh if every SPM tall scorer should be rewarded solely upon a basement of SPM results.
Let's take a year 2007 for example. A year where 1800 students were sent abroad to complete their tertiary education. Averaging RM500,000 per person, we're seeking during investments of roughly RM900 million for which batch alone. If a trend continues in 2012, aren't you afterwards seeking during a whooping total of RM3.5 billion so far? The public has a right to demand for a justification of such an expenditure. Most especially when a infancy of these students have been not even enrolled in a worl! d's Top 20 universities.
Throughout a years, there have been cases of JPA scholars (the supposed SPM high-scorers) flunking their preparatory examinations i.e A-Levels, Canadian Pre-U, South Australian Matriculation. This is a clever indication of a JPA scholarship process being ineffectual in last excellence, which SPM achievements do not indispensably measure up to world-standard tutorial requirements.
Isn't it additionally paradoxical of a process which a most appropriate students aren't well-developed enough to be a most appropriate between a best? In fact, privately-funded students partially have a improved admission rate to Ivy-league schools similar to Cambridge for example. So look who's carrying a last giggle now.
Moreover, in a UK as good as US, there have been universities with large Malaysian admissions upon an annual basement where a scholars mingle usually between themselves. Don't be astounded therefore to encounter Malaysian graduates from such tertiary institutions who can't even verbalise correct English! Does this meant which JPA's genius is such which as prolonged as these normal educational performers find places in these accepting universities, they're all good? That their agenda is simply to get them abroad? How most of a 'international schools' in a charts below will accept out JPA scholars?
Can a tip scorers contest in a tip 20 universities worldwide? How do a own universities compare?
Not so prolonged ago, a Government initiated a new process for JPA scholarships to be awarded usually to well-developed students upon acceptance to tip universities. Years have upheld given a announcement, as good as a time is developed to redefine a definition of 'top university'. Singapore, for instance, will usually unite thecrme de la crmeto tip institutions whilst a rest have been retained locally.
Possible changes in a policy:
  • Reserving scholarship spots for tip scorers during university-entry level
  • Small bursaries for SPM-level students for pre-university courses
  • The pre-university courses would include STPM, matriculation as good as A-levels
Other issues mooted:
  • Due to O-level formula being a poor indicator of A-level performance, it is not an excellent thought to endowment a scholarships to SPM turn students
  • Key to a process shift is to endowment scholarships to students with really great formula as good as a place during tip universities
  • Process of awarding a scholarships contingency additionally be 'fair as good as balanced' in order to make sure which all communities in Malaysia reap benefits
(Source: JPA)
JPA's over-emphasis upon abroad preparation is between a factors which have been causing a internal institutions to plummet in rankings due to a miss of quality tellurian capital. Lackluster educational opening is what's creation a ambience reduction competitive, as is a miss of initiatives to aim for a higher standard. Look no serve than a bane of most of a scholars a simple grasp of a English Language (or a miss of); to design continuous independent investigate as good as growth progress therefore is unrealistic.How saddening, though, which a trickle-down goods have been bastar! dizing a own efforts to urge internal institutions.
Whatever can positively occur to initiatives to revive a excellence days of University Malaya, when a Government itself allows an exodus of a brightest, whilst reduction undeserving ones fastener for locally accessible spots?
Whoever manners a Government in future, it's imperative which JPA's abroad scholarship process be revised. Straight A's in SPM alone don't equate to a value deserving of golden (yes, it's which expensive) opportunities abroad. Overseas institutions too, aren't indispensably well-developed usually since they're located in a US or UK where sacred institutions similar to Stanford, Harvard, as good as Oxford have been found. More importantly, a some-more polished proceed will safeguard meritocracy during its best, whilst improving a customary of a internal institutions with billions saved as good as a improved pool of students to select from.
(Source of charts in this article:http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/; featured picture concomitant article upon main page courtesy of Mahani Mohamad, source:http://bit.ly/IdcUyW) - Loyarburok
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