Selangor to help those denied federal scholarships

Sensing an opportunity for political upmanship, the Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor is offering interest-free study loans to those unable to get federal government scholarships.

State executive councillor Dr Halimah Ali in charge of education said deserving students will be able to later convert the loans to full state scholarships at the Universiti Industri Selangor and Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor.

“Of late there been many stories of top scores with even 10A who have not been able to get scholarships and these are the students we want to help,” she told reporters.

She was commenting on the Najib administration’s move to eventually stop federal scholarships for undergraduate studies in favour of post-graduate scholars and the construction of more local universities to reverse brain drain from the country.

Dr Halimah said the Selangor offer is for students who have scored a minimum of five As in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations. The study loan of students who excel will automatically be converted to scholarships.

She said the maximum amount for each student is RM25,000 and limited to their first degree.

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said there will be no limit on how many loans and scholarships that will be given out.

But he said priority will be given to students from Selangor. The loan facilities will be provided through the state secretariat and Yayasan Selangor.



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All Pakatan States must pool their resources to send deserving students and provide them scholarships to further their studies overseas. Provision of scholarship must strictly be based on meritocracy to ensure that good talents remain in the country to save Malaysia