NO SCHOLARSHIPS FOR RETIREES

Here's another personal encounter with age discrimination.

Early this month I heard that UniSIM was offering a Master of Gerontology course commencing this July. It was the first university in Singapore to do so. I was excited as for the past two years I had been looking for just such a course of study. A post-graduate degree in gerontology would definitely add credibility to my writings on Seniorsaloud, and open doors to new career opportunities.

As a strong advocate of life-long learning, I was eager to register for the course. Classes would be held on alternate weekends at the Clementi campus in Singapore. The modules covered areas that were familiar to me. The entire course could be completed in one and a half years. Students could start with the 9-month compulsory course leading to the Graduate Diploma in Gerontology. They could then decide whether to continue with another nine months of elective courses leading to a Master of Gerontology. The flexibility of the course structure suited me perfectly.

My Seniorsaloud card which I always refer to as my PASSION card.

The only hesitation I had was over the fees - S$15,408 for the Graduate Diploma, and S$30,816 for the Master degree. There was a 20% concession for applicants aged 60 and above. That would certainly help retirees thinking of registering for the course.

Then my mother had a fall.

I watched incredulously as the hospital bills kept escalating, and the savings kept dwindling. That started me on an online search for scholarships.

To my utter disappointment. I found that every foundation that offered post-graduate scholarships had a maximum age limit for applicants - not more than 30 or 35 years.

Age is a deterrent to older applicants for scholarships.

Fine, I can accept that companies consider scholarships as investments, and that it makes more sense to invest in younger people, simply because they can get more lifelong mileage out of a 30-year-old than a 60-year-old. But older students are more committed, and bring with them a wealth of life experiences that would contribute richly to the class dynamics and to the learning process. This is particularly so with gerontology - the study of the ageing process and the problems of the aged.


Sometimes, when you're older, you really have to go the extra mile to compete with the younger folks.

There shouldn't be a cap on upper age limit for scholarships just as there is no age limit placed on university admission. I am sure the members of scholarship selection committees are themselves in the 50+ age group. Surely they could be more supportive of older adults returning to school again. And haven't they heard that 60 is the new 40? Why must it always be about ROI?

I have at least a good 10 years of working life in me. At present, one in 11 Singaporeans is aged 65 and above. By 2030, it will be one in five. With the population ageing rapidly in Singapore and across the region, there is an urgent need for qualified gerontologists. I know I make a darn good one.

Click here to find out more about careers that involve a knowledge of gerontology. (Source: Mississippi State University)

The closing date for application is coming up on 31 March. I am applying the Law of Attraction and hoping that the universe picks up my request and respond. Who knows I might find a letter in my (e)mail box with an offer of scholarship or sponsorship for the Master of Gerontology course!

In the meantime, I shall resort to buying a lottery ticket of two...

STUDY LOAN DEFAULTERS, SHAME ON YOU!

The Malaysian government’s decision to eventually scrap the 1,500 Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships has drawn much flak from all quarters. This move will deprive academically gifted students, particularly those from low income families, of an opportunity to further their education and contribute to the future development of the country.

 

Minister in the PM’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who is in charge of the scholarships has asked the public to accept the reality of the situation. He explained that the government does not have the funds to finance the studies of a growing pool of bright students seeking financial aid to pursue their studies in foreign universities.

Personally, I find his reasons unacceptable. It’s all about priorities. No money for scholarships, but funds available for a new RM800m Parliament building, and a new RM811m Istana Negara?

Aside from full scholarships, PSD also gives out study loans. To date, PSD has been unable to collect from 11,253 loan defaulters. This is a conservative estimate and includes 866 civil servants who owe about RM135.8m. As for the total amount owing, who knows. The money for the study loans comes from a revolving fund of taxpayers’ money. Those who have taken loans but have not repaid them are depleting this fund. No wonder there isn’t enough money now to help needy and deserving students.

MARA (Majlis Amanah Rakyat) offers scholarships and study loans to Malay and bumiputra students. It regularly publishes a list of loan defaulters in the major newspapers in the hope of shaming them into repaying the loans. MARA has also threatened to blacklist them, take legal action against them, declare them bankrupt and confiscate their passports should they attempt to leave the country. But despite these measures, MARA has had limited success in recovering loan arrears amounting to a whopping RM500m!

As a last resort, the PSD is in talks with Bank Negara to join the Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS). Financial institutions use the system to check the credit worthiness of loan applicants before approving their loan applications for housing, car, business, credit card and so on.

Only time will tell if this latest move will scare these recalcitrant borrowers into repaying their study loan.

I for one won’t be holding my breath.

A CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY IN PSD SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION

MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat recently announced that the government would review the selection criteria for Public Services Department (PSD) scholarships. He revealed in The Star news report that PSD scholarship recipients were selected based on four criteria: merit (20%), race (60%), Sabah and Sarawak citizens (10%), and students from underprivileged groups (10%).

Is that supposed to explain why every year without fail we hear about top SPM scorers with a long string of A’s not making the scholarship cut? What constitutes merit, and why only 20% for merit? What does it say about a government that does not place a premium on meritocracy? What is the racial breakdown for the 60% under ‘race’? Why is there a criterion based on domicile? How does the PSD define ‘underprivileged’?

Hoping to find some answers, I checked out the PSD website and found that for the Foreign Degree Programme, the criteria for selection are Academic excellence (70%), Interview (10%),
Socio-economic background of parents (10%), Co-curriculum (10%).


Now I'm even more confused. Further browsing led me to a list of questions posted by The Star on 15 May 2008. One example:

The Star: Can we get some statistics on who were awarded JPA (PSD) scholarships in the previous years to show that the selection process is fair? Or can we get some comments from your boss on this issue?

PSD: The question is not clear and we are not sure what information is being sought.


I almost fell off my chair when I read that answer! And to have it posted online for all the world to see!


Instead of shedding some light, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also the Education Minister chose to sidestep the issue. According to The New Straits Times report he said his ministry "felt strongly that the number of subjects should be streamlined to resolve the perennial problem". Hello, am I missing something here? Is he implying that top students who scored more than 14 A’s may have been passed over for scholarships because some of the subjects they took were either easy to score, or were of less importance? Isn’t that an insult to the students, and also to the Curriculum Department of his ministry?


The minister acknowledged the grouses, and said the matter would be discussed at the (cabinet) meeting. A study would also be carried out. Those are the government's stock answers to every problem in our country. I will not be holding my breath to know the outcome. In the meantime, scores of bright students are left out in the cold. They have to rely on their own resourcefulness to get financial aid or give up their academic dreams altogether.

KWOK Ting Choong, 17, of Penang Free School, scored 14 1As. The irony is many top students who failed to secure PSD scholarships were offered ASEAN scholarships by the Singapore government well-known for their stringent selection procedures. (Photo: The Star)

As a retired teacher with 35 years in the profession, I know that this problem does exist, and keeps intensifying each year as more and more students score straight A's in the SPM. As a single mother supporting two teenage children on a teacher's pay of RM1200 back in the 1980s, I know what it is like to have your academically-gifted children rejected for a PSD scholarship.


This issue has been highlighted in the media for the past few weeks, but the PSD has yet to make any statements to clear the air. Why the silence??