Selecting The Scholar
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Rich or poor, no worthy scholarship applicant will be turned away by the Public Service Commission. But should family income matter when deciding who is more deserving? New PSC chairman Eddie Teo gives his take on the issue
By Sue-Ann Chia, Senior Political Correspondent 
'We should all worry about the widening income gap and how to help the poor. (But) to criticise PSC scholarships as hampering social mobility is barking up the wrong tree,' says Mr Teo. -- PHOTO: JOSEPH NAIR FOR THE STRAITS TIMESMR EDDIE Teo makes no apologies for giving government scholarships to youngsters from rich families, including the Prime Minister's son. Why not, was his retort to critics who questioned the decision.'If PSC scholarships are to bring in people who are suitable for public service, why should we discriminate against the Prime Minister's son?' he reasons.
PM Lee Hsien Loong's third child, Li Hongyi, received a Public Service Commission (PSC) Overseas Merit Scholarship in 2006. He is now studying economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.
Mr Teo cites this example to refute suggestions that scholarship candidates from poorer families should be given priority over their richer peers.
The deciding factor is merit rather than money, he stresses, as PSC scholarships are not bursaries for the poor but a manpower management tool to bring bright people into the civil service.
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PM Lee Hsien Loong's third child, Li Hongyi, received a Public Service Commission (PSC) Overseas Merit Scholarship in 2006. He is now studying economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.
No surprise there.
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Same here... If PM's son does not get the scholarship for further studies or becomes a cadet officer during his NS days...Then something is wrong...
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this is really unbelievable!!!
i am surprised with this type of reasoning.
does the granting of scholarship really affect his decision to join or not to join the public service? his family can surely and easily afford his education!!! so why does he need a scholarship?
generally the rich should withdraw themselves from any type of scholarships grant to give the poorer a chance.
or the commission should not grant scholarships to the rich.
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Originally posted by dragg:
this is really unbelievable!!!
i am surprised with this type of reasoning.
does the granting of scholarship really affect his decision to join or not to join the public service? his family can surely and easily afford his education!!! so why does he need a scholarship?
generally the rich should withdraw themselves from any type of scholarships grant to give the poorer a chance.
or the commission should not grant scholarships to the rich.
have a salary celling or something. -
Originally posted by dragg:
this is really unbelievable!!!
i am surprised with this type of reasoning.
does the granting of scholarship really affect his decision to join or not to join the public service? his family can surely and easily afford his education!!! so why does he need a scholarship?
generally the rich should withdraw themselves from any type of scholarships grant to give the poorer a chance.
or the commission should not grant scholarships to the rich.
it looks better for his resume, and besides its unbecoming for such a talented young man to actually pay for his own studies when his equally talented family(LKY's words) have benefited from the state by the basis of their talents. don't sue me, that was LKY's explaination for having so many of his relatives in the govt or related bodies.
they did mention whatever the original aim, currently the scholarship wasn't meant to benefit the poor who couldn't pay for their studies, just to tie talented people to the govt. there are other scholarships for the poor, this is meant for elites or would be elites.
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Originally posted by skythewood:
have a salary celling or something.this idea is so wrong, what if somebody decides he's not earning his maxium potential and turns corrupt? are you trying to call his bluff?
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Originally posted by oldbreadstinks:
this idea is so wrong, what if somebody decides he's not earning his maxium potential and turns corrupt? are you trying to call his bluff?
salary ceiling for families of people applying for scholarship.
what did you think the salary ceiling i was refering to?
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Originally posted by skythewood:
salary ceiling for families of people applying for scholarship.
what did you think the salary ceiling i was refering to?
oops paiseh
i thought you refering to people who need a salary ceiling -
Scholarships are needed if you want to attain the top government jobs in Singapore.
That apparently is meritocracy.
Sad but true.
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Originally posted by charlize:
Scholarships are needed if you want to attain the top government jobs in Singapore.
That apparently is meritocracy.
Sad but true.
meritocracy means regardless of race, language, religion, and family background. scholarship should not be a criteria, but scholarship is definitely a by product of good grades. -
Is this a surprise to anyone?
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Originally posted by skythewood:
meritocracy means regardless of race, language, religion, and family background. scholarship is definitely a by product of good grades.Your above two propositions conclude to a moot point unless you're addled enough to claim that grades are barred by race, language, religion or family background haha. Since grades are achievable here solely on the ability and motivation of the individual without racial, language, religion or family background obstruction, and to you is one of the drivers to a scholarship, your 1st sentence is the same as the second.
BTW, you are so clueless if you think that all you need are "grades" for a scholarship in Singapore. I'm certain you do not know any real ones (Scholars. REAL ones. SAFOS, President's, OMS league. Not some lame duck, buay kan NUS bursary for the poor/study award from SAF/Lelong healthcare/teaching award holders who call themselves scholars).
The perfect scorers don't even get to the first rate scholarships, they end up with the breadcrumbs like some stat board or teaching award that no top leaguers covet. The all rounders with near perfect scores AND mandatory ten thousand other things that are NON-academic do get to compete in the final leg of the 1st/top tier. Bloodbath begins and only a handful of the best men win.
The only fools who think that "best grades" = "best scholarship" or "only grades required" = scholarship are the people outside looking in who have never ever had a brush with the subject matter they brazenly pontificate about, thinking that they're such know-it-alls but of cos making big fools of themselves.
They're the people who went to below average JCs like VJ, NJ, TJC and below, stayed in SG all their sad lives and attended some village university like NUS arts and social science, had some fat gay bf who didn't make it to OCS, never had spoke to a SAFOS or OMS before in their lives. No interaction at all even mildly with the "circle". And they think they know-it-all,,very sad.
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Originally posted by charlize:
Scholarships are needed if you want to attain the top government jobs in Singapore.
That apparently is meritocracy.
The attainment process of scholarship is meritocratic and quoting input from skythewood "is independent of race, language, religion and family background". So you are correct. For once in your life you say something that isn't as stupid as you are because its actually correct which is a miracle! Wow congrats~!
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Originally posted by Gloater:
The attainment process of scholarship is meritocratic and quoting input from skythewood "is independent of race, language, religion and family background". So you are correct. For once in your life you say something that isn't as stupid as you are because its actually correct which is a miracle! Wow congrats~!
Woohoo.
The personal attacks have begun.