Several groups are reportedly calling for government scholarships currently disbursed by the Public Service Department (PSD) to be handled by the Conference of Rulers instead.

This is supposedly one of 18 resolutions passed by the groups at the Malay and Bumiputra Education Convention yesterday, which the NGO Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) would submit to Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Utusan Malaysia today quoted one of the convention's organisers, Mara Education Foundation CEO Zubir Harun, saying, "The move to place the management of the scholarship under Conference of Rulers's complete control is in line with safeguarding the special rights of the Malays as provided in the federal constitution.

"The convention feels that the way the scholarship is currently managed is not transparent, with the politicians handling it giving priority to ‘certain races'."

The nature of the alleged racial discrimination and its perpetrators were not detailed in the report.

Other key organisers in the event, themed ‘Meritocracy: Where are our children now', are GPMS and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

A total of 18 resolutions were reportedly passed at the event.