KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Umno Youth wants the number of scholarships to study abroad for students of all races increased by 100 per cent.

Umno Youth secretary Megat Firdouz Megat Junid said the 2,000 scholarships given yearly by the Public Service Department to study abroad could no longer meet the demand as more students were scoring straight As.

"Having more criteria might not solve the problem as many students are scoring high marks," he said, adding that the government should retain the racial quota system for government aid.

Former Tangga Batu member of parliament Datuk Idris Haron agreed with Megat Firdouz that the only solution was to increase the number of scholarships.

"Having more criteria might create new problems as the department cannot please everyone," said Idris, a former deputy higher education minister.
He said the present criteria to vie for scholarships, which included academic qualification and extra-curricular activities, were sufficient.

Idris said deserving Malaysians should not be deprived of scholarships.

He added that students who were not eligible for PSD scholarships could apply for loans from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation.