Scholarship Realities and Cinderella scholarship

Scholarships in Malaysia - a Cinderella dream for top scorers
We had seen how the Cinderella dream came true for Kate.
The scholarships in Malaysia is yet another C dream for Malaysian top scorers to realize their dream.
What do you need to do to achieve this type of dream, actually?
Just concentrate on your studies and obtained 11 A+, 10A+ and 9A+ to at least have some chances.  Again, not all will get as the measurement for it kept changing from year to year.  When you get it, you are consider very lucky. 

You don't need to spend too much time on co-curriculum as it serve no purpose at all as they are not considering at all.  They always said sports is important, but they never say, we don't look at sport when come to scholarships.  A pity statement to highlight, but that is nothing but the truth.  So much pushing in that statement making the students all rush to the running events held every year, just to get a certificate of participation and for those good ones, to get a better 'cemerlang' cert of no use.

A proof of it is a girl with 8A+ and 2As with excellent performance in sports, representing states and received awards for zones and winning so many champions in so many running events since primary until secondary; a blackbelt holder in Taekwando; an advance diploma holder in piano performance, failed to get oversea scholarship or twinning scholarship.  She only managed to get the matriculation and local university scholarship which is also depending on certain criteria.  She is also being consider have some luck than some of them who did not get it at all.  Not any party in the politic could help her as she is consider far away from the 11, 10 and 9 A+ who are not actively involved in sports.  Everyone around her said, you sure to get, you are so excellent in academics and non academics.  Even the HM, her friends, teachers, relatives, beside her family members believed that she will never miss it, yet she was missed as the JPA don't know her, just that simple!  An all rounder, they said couldn't even get it, what is so very wrong!  Not many are like her, to be good in both.  Usually the sports girls or boys don't do that well.  However, her fate just faded like them.

This is the reality in Malaysia for those who wish to obtain schorlarships.  Just concentrate on studies if you can and obtain 9As and above.  Don't waste time like the pity girl who thought she stands a better chance even though with 10As, fulfilling 8A+, and representing using up lots of her time in something that did not help her to gain scholarship.  She only learnt that life is hard in Malaysia, you have to be extra on everything and yet the chances of getting it is zero or very slim!  This is the cruel side of life you need to face.

There were some even try manipulating to grab the scholarship by putting in some certificates of participation, lower salary and many more.  No one knows except the God and you!  There will be some rich ones to compete with the poor/middle ones who will not be able to sent their children overseas unless getting a huge loans.  Not many will dare to take the move as you will need to repay back with interest. 

What can we do about it?  Nothing at all or nothing much.  May be a bit of complaint here and there.  The best is to have your own money to send your child overseas if you are capable.  No need to think about this problem if you are rich.  Pity to those who are not capable and will need to rely totally on this!  It is a sad world after all.  However, we will need to pick up ourselves again even though dissapointed and move forward again, hoping for the best to happen!

Guess, that's the only way we have to do to protect ourselves from the hurt and frustration that exist again and again to many of our poor boys and girls who are indeed excellent every year! This will surely make the brain drain even worst, maybe!  This will open up their eyes in the chances they will face even more in future.

May God bless them with the uneven treatment they have to receive and be strong for there is always a chance.  Don't give up on yourself and just move on, on this very uneven road we are facing as we will be even stronger with all the falls. We just need to stand up and move again. Anyway, you have gain something from being active, you gain friendship, learn to social, learn to adjust yourself in new environment, learning discipline, learn to appreciate and live your life to the fullest compare to others who did nothing but studying.  You are an all rounder hard to find and everybody admire you.  Because not everyone can be an all rounder person and can't be made.  You are special and only the people who knows you know better.  Too bad just some party(JPA) don't see it.

As for those lucky ones, just appreciate what you have gained and not asking for even better ones!

PSD havoc - what are the consequences

Thursday May 19, 2011

Wee: Officers failed to award scholarships according to govt criteria

By NG CHENG YEE
chengyee@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Government officers who failed to follow Cabinet directives is one of the main reasons why top students failed to get the awards, said MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.
Many students who deserved the scholarships did not get the grants, but those who did not deserve them had successfully obtained the financial assistance, he added.
He described the situation where qualified students were unsuccessful in their scholarship applications was the worst this year in all the years when he handled appeals.
Dr Wee said these government officers set their own selection criteria and did not follow what the Cabinet had decided.

“If this trend continues, many Barisan Nasional parties will have to close shop because such a practice will only scare away young voters.
“Many talented young people will also be driven away and this will make the brain drain problem even worse,” he told a press conference at Wisma MCA yesterday.
Dr Wee said students who scored full A+ in the SPM examination were not given priority during the selection process, and were only offered open scholarships for government matriculation programmes or vacancies at local universities.
An open scholarship for matriculation studies is financial assistance given to students only after they have obtained good results during their first year in the programme.
“However, students who obtained poorer results were awarded scholarships to study at universities overseas,” he said.
Previously, the Government announced that 300 of the 1,500 Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships were given based on merit, regardless of race.
Dr Wee said this figure was sufficient to cater to the 363 full A+ scorers.
One of the students facing this problem is Chan Shu Ren from SMK Chung Ching in Raub, who obtained 11A+ in the SPM examination.
Shu Ren, who was present at the press conference with her father Chan Ah Kau, was offered an open scholarship for the government matriculation programme.
“I have friends from the same school who only obtained 8A+ and 9A+ but received PSD scholarships to study in countries like France and India,” Shu Ren said.

Form 6 Accounting

Most students should be afraid of Accounting in Form 6. 
This statement is not to scare the students but to inform that you should be well prepared to work harder and have intention to love accounting. You should go for it whether you did score A+ for Accounting Principles or have no basic at all provided you are willing to work for it. 
What about those failed before in form 5?  Well, you have tried and fail to do it.  The advice is not to go for it again unless you had never try to study in form 5 at all.  Or it just show that subject is not for you as it is consider very very easy in Form 5 compare to Form 6 which is much tougher.  Since you still fail, then you might fail or just pass.  I had seen students with not so good results around B or worse will had a hard time to do it well again, only manage to pass.
So, what is the difference between the two forms.  Form 5 questions are very straight forward and very much similar to what you are learning and practicing.  However, Form 6 questions in the other way, twist and turn, and it really test if you know your concept well.  You might get one or two similar questions some times if you are lucky.  Most of the time, you are not.
Many fail and a handful score A+.
How to score accounting?
Well, understanding and ability to apply concept will be a strong point to score well.  Working hard or just doing lot of questions is not going to help if you don't really understand and just trial and error. 
Paper 1 will be testing on financial accounting and the questions are the one twisted and kept changing all the time. 
Paper 2 will test on Management Accounting and management Costing which are quite straight forward and easier if you know the concept well. 
You will need to answer 4 questions out of 6 with compulsory on number 1.
Make sure you ask lots of questions that you don't understand and make sure you are well clear and able to apply the concept no matter what type of questions are out.
Never copy answers or audit answer and assume you understand.  You will need to do it without referring to answers as to see what type of wrong thinking you have.  Whenever you are confuse, just check with the concept you have learn and if you are following, then you don't have to worry and just finish answering and not half way through.
Why Accounting is consider a tough subject? 
Because it is a professional subject, and not anyone will make it as there are standards to follow.
Some students who scored A+ gave up as they know the tough side of this subject, what about you?
However, those who did not score A+, kept on their dream and managed to be an accountant.  So, it will definitely depend on individuals what they really want and how far they dare to go for it.

JPA havoc 2011- mismatch of JPA scholarships.

Both China Press and Sin Chew Daily continued to highlight the plight of SPM scorers who failed to secure JPA scholarships, including a female student from Sitiawan who had been given by JPA a 'phantom course' which does not exist.
Sin Chew Daily and Nanyang Siang Pau both urged the government to take action against the JPA officials who are responsible for the mismatch of JPA scholarships to stop the problem from recurring.

Guan Eng: Act against JPA ‘Little Napoleans’

By Susan Loone | May 19, 11
Malaysiakini
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has condemned the Public Services Department (JPA) for failing to provide scholarships to deserving students, a mistake being continuously repeated.
Lim said the JPA, in disbursing its scholarships recently, ‘cannot get their act together’ as they failed to differentiate between top and second highest scorers.

He added that action must be taken against the “Little Napoleans” responsible for this mess up as these mistakes affected people’s lives.
“Either get new people to do the job, or get in a new DPM (Deputy Prime Minsiter, who is also the Education Minister),” Lim (left) said in Penang during a press conference after attending state agency InvestPenang’s, board meeting.
“What’s going on? It is such a simple matter but these mistakes create a lot of pain, anxiety and anguish for people,” he lamented.
The DAP national secretary-general also questioned the capability of the government to provide a first class civil service when it is prone to committing such mistakes.
For a first class civil service to exist, he added, the government must have in place “a good system, good ethics, especially in disbursing scholarships, and good team spirit”.
However, Lim said it appears as if these three important elements do not currently exist in the country’s administration.
He was quick to add that not all civil servants were problematic, as it was always a few bad apples which spoiled the reputation of others.
Mess driving away the best
“What we have instead is a complete mess, which creates anxiety, tears and drives away top students to other countries,” he said.
“These actions give a bad name to our civil service although not all civil servants are bad or made these mistakes,” he added.
Lim was referring to complaints by several students who were denied JPA awards despite scoring above 8As for their SPM exams.
Chinese language news dailies – Oriental Daily, China Press and Sin Chew Daily – have front-paged the mismatch of JPA scholarships.
Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong complained that the best scholars had been offered only scholarships in local universities.

Unhealthy Growth of Medical Schools in M'sia Date: March 6, 2011 Source: New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - With too many medical schools, lack of teaching staff and insufficient training facilities, Malaysia is in danger of producing sub-standard medical graduates. Former director-general of health Tan Sri Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman said: "Too many medical schools have been allowed to be started in too short a time."

He said this could become a problem when the country produced thousands of doctors who may not be as good "as they could be".

"We don"t want numbers. We want quality: quality of medical schools, quality of medical graduates, quality of post-graduates. What we should be doing is working hard to make sure our medical schools are of international standard."

Commenting on the mushrooming of medical schools and the low quality of medical graduates, Dr Abu Bakar, who was D-G of health from 1991 to 2001, said the the authorities needed to consider the country"s health planning when setting up medical schools.

"During my time, we used to advise the Education Ministry (the authority for higher education before the setting up of the Higher Education Ministry) on the formation of new medical schools, based on the country"s health planning needs.

"There was coordination in terms of what was needed and what was the production capacity.

"For example, whenever there was a request for a medical school to be formed, the ministry would enquire which hospital would be used for training. The prospective universities would come to us and we would discuss with them what they were going to do.

"We allocated hospitals to them so that they had facilities for training and clinical experience. Without that, they could not go to the ministry to consider their application. They had to consult the ministry before it could get the approval.

"That was how it was when universities such as Sheffield, International Medical University and Monash set up their medical schools. It was difficult to get a medical school licence then. But now it appears that this link between the Health Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry in terms of manpower needs is not there."

Dr Abu Bakar, who is now IMU president, said co-ordination between the authorities was important, otherwise, the process of educating doctorswould not be done in a way that met the standards of local and foreign universities.

"Too many public universities are also being built too quickly and this is not healthy. There are too many housemen now, so supervising them can be difficult. And we worry they may not get adequate training."

He said producing 20-odd medical schools in fewer than 10 years did not make sense, adding that there was a need for the authorities to justify the existence of these schools through evidence-based decision making.

"At present, every state wants to have a medical school. But is there a need? Some don"t even have enough training hospitals."

Having too many medical schools also results in difficulties in recruiting academic staff, who are in short supply locally and abroad.

He said even IMU, which has been in the industry for 19 years, found it difficult to recruit the right staff, adding that although a doctor may be a specialist, he may not necessarily make a good academic.

"We need experienced people with academic management skills, curriculum planning, assessment, benchmarking and accreditation."

On the quality of students pursuing medical studies, Dr Abu Bakar said while good grades were important criteria for entry to medical schools, students should also have the aptitude and desire to serve the community.

"The essence of being a doctor is to serve. Just because you are a bright student doesn"t make you a good doctor.

"You must have other attributes such as being interested in people, the desire to help others, patience, and the independence of thinking and learning,"

He added that he had come across cases of intelligent students not doing well in their medical exams because of a lack of interest.

"Some students graduate but they don"t want to practise because they are not interested in medicine; they took it up only because of pressure from their parents."

Those intending to pursue medical studies, he added, should opt for local public and private medical schools, especially in terms of meeting the local needs, failing which they should consider medical schools in the Commonwealth countries or the United States, which have a similar healthcare system to Malaysia.

He advised them to avoid studying medicine in other countries where the healthcare system was different than that of Malaysia.

"If you send them to Russia or the Ukraine, they are trained to perform in the healthcare system of their host country, which is not similar to the system here. I have reservations about that. But that does not mean they cannot perform.

"And why do you need to send them to other places where they have to learn a different language? Why do you place such a huge burden on them? There are more than enough local programmes here for them."

Full A+ students of Penang - Congratulations

Bil	Nama Calon	Sekolah
1	Chow Chee Shoon	SMJK Chung Ling Butterworth
2	Aliaa Shafinas Bt Mohd Don	SMKA Al Irshad
3	Ang Yee Theng	SMJK (P) China Pulau Pinang
4	Chuah Ying Qi	SMJK Chung Ling Butterworth
5	Carmen Khoo Yi Lyn	SMK (P) Methodist
6	Amery Seow Su Yin	SMK (P) St George
7	Krystin Keh Xing Hui	SMK (P) St George
8	Pavitra A/P Ramakrishnan	SMK Convent Butterworth
9	Liew Mei Rin	SMK Convent Butterworth
10	Kwang Cheng Mun	SMK Convent Green Lane
11	Ooi Xing Ying	SMK Convent Green Lane
12	Azreennisa Bt Abdul Haleem	SMK Convent Lebuh Light
13	Dharishaanth A/L Siva Shanmugam	SMK Dato Onn
14	Nor Atiqah Bt Nor Khalid	SMK Kepala Batas
15	Kiren Raj A/L Jaikumar	SMK Methodist Nibong Tebal
16	Muhammad Sajid Nabiel Bin Waheed Rahman	SMK Penang Free
17	Liew Juan Kwong	SMK St Xavier
18	Mok Mun Jeng	SMK Tinggi Bukit Mertajam
19	Koh Su Ann	SMK (P) Methodist
20	Koay Wai Lean	SMK (P) Methodist
21	Tania Loke Suat Mei	SMK Bukit Jambul
22	Chelsea Khor Wen Phing	SMK Convent BM
23	Chuah Yun Fen	SMK Convent Green Lane
24	Lim Xin Yi	SMK Convent Green Lane
25	Vivian Teh Min Mi	SMK Convent Lebuh Light

Modular system for STPM 2012

Monday April 11, 2011

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/4/11/nation/8456797&sec=nation

PETALING JAYA: The introduction of a modular system for assessing the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malay­sia (STPM) examinations will begin next year, and not this year as originally scheduled.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the system would be based on three semesters and students would be evaluated at the end of each one.
“This will be similar to the system in place at universities to help students adjust to the sort of continuous assessment involved in tertiary study,” he said.
“Due to the logistics involved following the change, we will only start the modular system with Lower Six students next year.
“However, the content of the STPM syllabus will remain the same,” he told The Star yesterday.
In 2009, it was reported that the existing terminal system for STPM assessments would be replaced by a modular one in 2011.
Dr Wee added that the modular assessment would also include coursework and school-based projects.

8A+ another possible dream make possible for those who worked for it

An extra big 8 A+ confirm with PSD scholarship yesterday, a big hope for the young, ambitious girls and boys of SPM (2010).
A great news before mothers' day but will be announced only after mothers' day.  Good enough!
A hope for the parents who really need it.  Timely enough!
A hope for the young scorers.  Fair enough!
A hope to all of us that those brilliant ones are being rewarded disregard of race.  Thrilled enough!
A hope on this coming Monday!  We will see the magic and hope of 1 Malaysia for all of us, Malaysians!

Brain drain and Brain build problem in Malaysia!

BD & BB are serious problems we are facing in Malaysia!
In my opinion, of course!  Some might not agree with me or might be angered by the statements to be revealed as below!
Brain drain, as usual not a new issue, everybody knows some how as mentioned in news now and then.  So, the reasons behind its existence are really important as Malaysia is loosing all the brainy to our neighboring countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong and as far as Australia and etc as time passed.  Some people realised the importance of it, yet some still not realizing it!  Guess it needs some brainy people who are aware of its importance and urgency before it's getting worse!  How serious is it actually?  Well, when every year all the brainies are being pick up by other countries, what is left for Malaysia?  Not so brainy ones of course.  Sorry as it will offense someone out there!  But it is a fact, what you expect to happen though!  Nothing can be done?  Not really, it's just up to the administration group or politic groups to see what is wrong with Malaysia system and able to adjust back in time to save Malaysia.

Talk about BB or brain building, the one I created for Malaysia for not building the brainy.  So the effect will be the not so brainy educating the future generations, again what to expect of the outcome?  Of course, the not so brainy ones.  However, there is some source helping the BB, which is the tuition system but not all can and able to get it as need to fork out money.  Or else no brainy will be out at all!  

Educators should have certain qualities and not just another unwanted jobs or just accept any as long as they want, whether to fulfill the quota or just to dump some unbrainy type who fail in their studies!  How you expect a teacher who doesn't know the stuff he/she is teaching and with language problems to produce brainy ones?  It's just another impossible dream to build.  Of course, this does not mean that there are some of the good ones who are the brainy but it's sad to say that only a hand full.  Most of them are just, how to say, no place or no better job to hold, so end up in the teaching line.  It's a fact if you are in the teaching line itself!  You can see some teachers just don't know their subject well enough even after going through the degree level as they merely pass or made pass in the first place!  So, what to expect from them as they can't even understand or grab the knowledge and yet they are the future brain building engineers!  They even asked the students to find out from the tuition class, sound familiar?  Because it's very true and sad.  So, that's how the failure of brain building started and it's getting worse with the GSTT who are just being hire as they had no jobs and no skill and unwanted.  Schools dare not give them any important subjects to them except morals, health and PJ.  Money are spend for them, using who's money?  You know!
 .......................to be continued!