The Cabinet has announced that the 86 students who failed to obtain Public Service Department (PSD) overseas scholarships, will instead be given scholarships to pursue the degrees of their choice at local private higher education institutions.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said this included twinning degrees where students started their degrees at a local institution before completing their studies at a foreign partner university.
"The degrees which students will be doing locally and under twinning include medicine, engineering, accountancy and bio-technology," he told reporters at Parliament after announcing the Cabinet decision Wednesday.
He said this would cost the Government RM26.1mil.
Nazri had said Tuesday that the Cabinet would decided Wednesday on the appeals by 86 Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship applicants who failed to get places to study overseas.
The appeals, he added, were in addition to the 1,500 overseas scholarships given annually.
On another matter, Nazri said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has asked him to get the leaders of Barisan component parties to list down the names of students who obtained less than 8A+ as the 1Malaysia Development Board would also award 500 scholarships for local studies.
He said the Cabinet would also review the nature of how PSD scholarships are awarded.
On those who had scored 8A+ and 9A+ in the SPM who were offered diploma courses under the PSD, Nazri said they would now be given matriculation programmes up to degree level locally.
