By Boo Su-Lyn | May 26, 2011 The Malaysian Insider
PETALING JAYA, May 26 — A former Federal Territory education director today pressed the Najib administration to abolish the race quota in Public Service Department (PSD) overseas scholarships.
Abas Awang, who is now the PKR education bureau chief, said the government should consider the long-term interest of Malaysia which aims to become a high-income nation by 2020. “We should not take race into account,” Abas (picture) told reporters today.
“In Malaysia, let the brilliant explore their biggest potential and let them be assets to the country. We should give justice to everyone in Malaysia,” he said.
The Malaysian Indian Student Association (Misa) yesterday also called for the abolition of the race quota and said all students who scored 8A+ should be awarded the overseas grants.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, who is in charge of the PSD scholarships, has said that 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).
Abas served as the Federal Territory education director from 2005 to 2007 and has 34 years’ experience in the education profession.