Khazanah’s one-day scholarship deadline defeats purpose

IT is welcome news that Yayasan Khazanah is offering scholarships to deserving SPM students who have demonstrated potential to eventually take up leadership roles in the country’s top organisations.

This is indeed a noble gesture by the Yayasan to help the poor and needy and also to benefit the nation in the long run.

However, why did the Yayasan set a one-day deadline for applications? This deadline is not practical and justifiable, and is counter-productive.

Normally, it takes more than one day for news of this nature to reach the target group. It will take a few more days for deserving students to respond. This is especially those from remote areas and those in Sabah and Sarawak.

Why the rush? Many deserving students will miss the deadline, undermining the purpose of offering the scholarships, as the most deserving may miss the opportunity.

Instead, Yayasan Khazanah should aim to get more bang for their buck by achieving better results for the effort and money invested in the scholarship programme.

Additionally, it is hoped that Yayasan Khazanah will adopt the practice of other private foundations by selecting recipients based on merit, regardless of race, religion, family background or location. This is an essential consideration.

The best students come from diverse backgrounds and are not confined to any artificial criteria. They come from all strata of society but have the same desires, hopes and aspirations.

The best graduates across the divide can contribute the most to the nation.

Khazanah scholarships should promote talents that are most needed to fill the future manpower needs of the country.