The government plans to introduced a new category in awarding scholarship which will be purely based on merit.

The aim is to create a level playing field to all candidates regardless of their races, and to increase competitiveness among the students. For long, scholarship awarding system has been touted to treat certain races differently.

If it does happen, Malaysians will see the implementation in place as early as in 6 months. As the number of maximum subjects for SPM is now limited to 10, the move will likely trigger an intense competition among the students aspiring to further their studies locally and abroad.

There is greater possibility that students’ involvement and achievements not related to their academic results will play the decisive factor in getting the scholarship.

According to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, a study is now underway to assess and evaluate the distribution and allocation of scholarship which is under the purview of Public Service Department (PSD).

However, the specific details about the new scholarship award and the mechanism of work is yet to be released.