There have always been contentious topics when it comes to education. Recently, a tweet from a Malaysian athlete and student spurred an intense debate among everyone.
On 8th September, Kirandeep Kaur, our national hockey player vented out her disappointments through her social media when her application to a private university was rejected despite achieving outstanding results in her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and matriculation.
Kirandeep claimed that despite being a national athlete and scoring 9As in her SPM, she was still unable to secure a scholarship.
“I got 3.88 for matrics despite the fact that I went to the junior world cup 3 weeks before the exam, yet it’s so difficult to enter any university. I feel so unappreciated – Kirandeep Kaur”
The 19-year-old player remarked that her tweet was referring to applications for private universities.
This is because some netizens were confused since the results for public university placement from the University Central Unit (UPU) have yet to come out.
A Twitter user quoted her tweet noting, “But the UPU result hasn’t come out yet,”
The young lass replied, “Yes, you’re right. I was referring to the private entry.”
The National Sports Council (NSC) has subsequently responded to Kirandeep’s tweet to clarify the issue as the story has sparked intense debate among everyone.
“NSC through the Malaysian Athlete Career and Education (MACE) always provides assistance for national athletes who wish to further their studies to the highest level,” NSC responded in Kirandeep’s tweet thread.
Further clarifying this issue, NSC revealed that her application to study medicine at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) through private entry was rejected because she did not qualify, as informed by her family.
The MACE review also found that Kirandeep Kaur, had directly submitted an application to the University Central Unit (UPU) and the placement results to the local university will only be known between 25-27 September, shared NSC through their Twitter.
“Currently, we have to wait for the placement result from UPU, and MACE is always ready to help Kirandeep if her application is rejected.”
However, on 10th September, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) refuted allegations made by the national hockey player regarding problems in furthering her studies and obtaining a scholarship.
According to the source, the MHC said they have, together with the National Sports Council (NSC), national coach Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim and team manager Siti Amarina Ruhani, taken note of Kirandeep’s excellent result and also made arrangements regarding her study plans soon after she completed the 2021 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
MHC also said that, together with the NSC, they were monitoring the progress of Kirandeep, with her acceptance to a matriculation programme in Gambang in May 2021 as the first step towards her furthering her studies.
“Besides continuing with her training allowance, Kirandeep was also given the flexibility and support in terms of training that was done online and also at the Gambang matriculation centre throughout her studies in Gambang from May 2021 until May 2022.”
“This (relaxation) included Kirandeep’s decision not to represent the national team in the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in South Korea (December 2021) and the Women’s Hockey Asian Cup (January 2022) because she wanted to focus on her matriculation studies,” MHC continued.
The MHC expressed dismay at Kirandeep’s statement on Twitter on Thursday (Sept 8), describing it as a serious matter considering that various efforts and assistance had already been provided to assist the player.
“The NSC, Youth and Sports Ministry and MOHE have a very detailed and comprehensive system to ensure that all athletes are given the opportunity to excel in sports and studies,” they stated.
Well, juggling her athlete life and education while still putting up spectacular performances in both is not an easy task. Let’s hope that immediate action will be taken soon to help her in her pursuit of an education.
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