The government is still determining the criteria for converting loans into scholarships for the 99 top STPM scorers who were assigned to private medical schools, said Deputy Higher Education Minister Fu Ah Kiow today.

Last Tuesday, it was announced that the 99 would be offered 'convertible loans', whereby the students need to score first-class honours or equivalent to convert the loans into scholarships.

At a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Fu said the ministry is still drawing up a grading system to distinguish the equivalent of first-class honours in the medicine programme.

He brushed off suggestions that the incapability of the ministry to finalise the loan details would hamper the decision process of students and parents to take up the offer, which is due this Saturday.

"All the students have to do is to attain good grades (to turn the loans into scholarships). It is more important whether they are willing to accept the offer," he said.

Causing undue distress

R Silvarajoo, whose son Murali is among the 99, said the ambiguity concerning the loans is causing them undue distress.

"We don't know what kind of range they are expecting (in order for students to qualify for loans to be turned to scholarships). For example, what would happen if we were to take up the offer, only to find out that PTPTN (Higher Education Fund) would only finance half the loan," he added.

However, Silvarajoo said Murali would be registering at the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST) in Kedah this afternoon.

The safety officer with a construction firm also expressed concern that if problems cropped up with the loans, he would not be able to finance his son's education.

Murali, who hails from Penang, scored the maximum Culmulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.0 but was not admitted to do medicine in public universities. He was instead offered a chemical engineering course in University Malaya (UM).

Meanwhile, Fu said students choosing to reject the offers at private institutions would still be able to take up the initial offers of courses such as dentistry and pharmacy in public universities.

He added that the loans would also cover the overseas component of studies, adding that the government was committed to helping the students.

Fifty students were offered places in Allianze College of Medical Science (ACMS), in which half the course is conducted in Universitas Sumatra Utara.

Traditionally, loans given out by the PTPTN do not cover the overseas component of twining courses at private institutions.

Based on merit

In this year's public university intake, 128 students who attained 4.0 CGPA scores in their STPM examination were denied admission into the medical faculty.

Subsequently, under the directive of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the cabinet decided that the students would be absorbed to pursue the course of their choice.

According to a news report today, a spokesperson for the Higher Education Department said

the 10 students, of the 128, who were given places in public universities were chosen based on merit.

Three were offered places in UM, three in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), three in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and one in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).