All SPM Top Scorers 8A+ and above will get JPA Scholarships

News quoted from The Star: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/6/nation/8630773&sec=nation

PETALING JAYA: The Cabinet has decided that all students who scored 8A+ and above in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2010 will get a Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship.

MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was very happy with the SPM results and wanted to reward more good students.

“We want to train more people and encourage good students further,'' he said, when contacted by The Star.
Yesterday, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong also tweeted about the good news decided by the Cabinet on Wednesday.

In his tweets, he said that such a move was commendable.

“Indeed (the) Cabinet is adopting (a) colour-blind policy and (is) sincere in helping top students of all races,” Dr Wee said.

However, he could not be contacted for further comment.

In July last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said all students who scored 9A+ or more would receive PSD scholarships regardless of their race.

Najib added it did not matter if they were Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban or others, adding that as long as they scored 9A+, they would get the scholarship, either for local or overseas studies.

He said this was to show that 1Malaysia was not just a slogan.

During the announcement of the analysis of the SPM 2010 results in March, Education director-general Datuk Abd Ghafar Mahmud said this year's SPM results have so far been the best in four years.

He said a total of 403 candidates comprising 363 from government schools and 40 from private schools or private students obtained A+ (super distinction) in all subjects last year compared with 214 in 2009.

Abd Ghafar said this was the second year the ministry had used the new grading system with students graded according to A+, A, A-, B+, B, C+, C, D, E and G as compared with the previous standards where the grades were from 1A to 9G.

This method gives a detailed breakdown of candidates who obtained grade A in the examination, he added.