Stray scholars

Let's make this the first post of 2016.

I lived through the first month of the new year, and I have to admit that I didn't make the most out of it. It's not exactly everyone's desired welcoming month of the year-it's a roller coaster ride of frustration,disappointment,anger,sadness. Literally everyone's thrown into a dark pit of despair, barely able to crawl out towards joy.

The PSD overseas scholarship is terminated OUT OF THE BLUE WITHOUT ANY OFFICIAL STATEMENT and the victims of this issue (Bursary scholars) are greatly affected. If you're given an opportunity to pursue your studies overseas, would you hop on the plane? It is in human's nature that we always want the best offers for ourselves. Come on, who doesn't want to be a part of Oxford or maybe roam around the streets of London and maybe Melbourne? Who doesn't want to be called an Ivy League student? Everyone does. Even I do.

It may sound silly and naive to say this but PSD's informal promise to offer overseas scholarships actually encouraged students to work harder towards achieving their dreams to study in prestigious universities globally. We , were given HOPE. H-O-P-E. Yes, there's no black and white stating that scholarships will be offered automatically, but it seems so as Bursary scholars are usually expected to achieve good grades. With excellent grades, the scholarship is yours. Questions for both sides : Why the false hope? After witnessing how much the nation has gone through, why choose to have trust in the government?

It's not just the grades. We wasted our 1.5 year doing A-Level , during which I didn't learn much but was taught to excel in exams. Does PSD fucking know what can I do with the 1.5 year instead of wasting away my youth in a lifeless place? A-Level is tough. Secondly, university applications are the pain in the ass. For UK, students had to sit for IELTS, churn out a personal statement after many,many drafts , sit for admission tests like LNAT, BMAT and UKCAT and attend interviews, locally and globally. For US, students had to write essays, one or more for EACH university, sit for SAT, ACT, etc. , and go through phone and Skype interviews. I would say that the admission into Australian universities is the easiest, but not when you're a prospective medical student who had to fly here and there for interviews. Not to forget, we had to ask our lecturers to write reference letters for us, and each lecturer had approximately 20 reference letters to work on against the deadline. The application fees, interview fees, courier fees, flight tickets, etc. are very costly indeed. Yes, we can claim it from MOE, but it's not always sufficient. Since we were always running out of time, it's obvious that we could not meet the deadlines of financial claims.

Yes, the scholarship is a privilege, not a right. Nevertheless, termination of the scholarship could mean robbing students of their rights to tertiary education. I dare say that, not all, but most of the Bursary scholars come from low and middle-income families. They took the risk to put their bets on the luxurious, one-way ticket to studying abroad without back-up plans because the opportunity is so assuring. Who would've thought that this could happen? Devastatingly, most of the scholars are at dead ends. Local private universities are too costly and local public universities prefer Matriculation and STPM over A-Levels and IB. Who could be blamed for the aggressive mass media and politicians approach, or maybe the angry statuses all over Facebook? Yes, it's annoying, but do try to put yourselves in our shoes, outsiders.

Dearest keyboard warriors, friends, and friends of friends whom I don't give a fuck about, stop condemning the victims of this issue. We've been through a lot and maybe you should spare us a thought, at least out of sympathy if you couldn't empathize. If someone close to you happens to be a victim, please give him/her words of encouragement, instead of saying things like "I don't think there'll be PSD scholarship for you anymore" or "Told ya so" . Seriously, I don't care about what people have to say since I live to impress no one but myself. It's important to know that a little positivity may help, although it doesn't shed much light on the actual matter.

The Prime Minister finally announced the long-awaited plans for PSD scholarships in conjunction of the announcement of the revised budget. Overseas scholarships are gone, and the hopeless 744 bursary scholars are only given the opportunity to study at local institutions. All the hard work and efforts invested in the university application process can now be flushed down the drain. Oh and maybe the offer letters can be recycled. A moment of silence for Oxbridge, Ivy League offer holders.
This issue shows how the government took things too lightly even though it concerns the future of capable youths. Irresponsible.

Recently, it's been said that the government wishes to turn the country into a regional education hub by making students stay here for their degrees. Good try, but they should stop saying that the local institutions are on par with the top schools worldwide. It's delusional and ironic. If discrimination and quota are not practised in local institutions, I believe they will have a chance to be a part of THE's Top 100 list (at least) . Sadly, it's not the case and this is why the cream of the crop in this country are desperately finding ways to leave. Not all the prestigious universities out there have good lecturers, yet their own students choose to pursue their studies in their own countries. It's not the quality of lecturers or the facilities that count. The students and the policy of education are the main determinants of the quality of an institution. Who actually realises the root of this longstanding problem?

Since last year, I've already started to take into consideration the possibility of the scholarship being terminated when the local currency depreciated tremendously and came up with alternatives. It's a silent warning that the country's economy isn't well-off, and having PSD to sponsor so many students overseas is very impossible. I may be a little disheartened that this day has finally arrived, but at least I'm mentally prepared for the worse. It's not that PSD doesn't want to sponsor us, it's just that the department has no means to do so. There's no point having protests, meetings or campaigns because they don't solve anything.

What's left for us? External scholarships and financial aids. This means higher demand for a lower supply of scholarships. Yes, we should be grateful about the government's decision to place us in local institutions, but it's not exactly a satisfying and clever solution. Places in local universities are limited as well. Till now, we're yet informed about the next step and the new list of sponsored courses and universities. The new policy is flawed,ambiguous and unreliable, leaving us hanging mid-way like strays. Why cut the budget for education when unnecessary expenses can be dismissed? There's nothing much we can do , except for finding ways on our own. Poor or rich, education is priority. Your dreams may be crushed, but don't let this matter crush you inside out.

I'm writing as an affected bursary scholar and am entitled to my own opinions.