Minorities have faced clear prejudice each time they apply to enrol at public institutions for decades and it appears to be getting worse with time.
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”- John Dewey.
Medical school is a long way off for Seetha, but despite facing more challenges than many her age, she has laid out a series of goals that she knows she must achieve before she can put on that white coat.
Hailing from Pahang, Seetha Devy Ravindran is a simple girl who dreams of becoming a doctor. Enrolling in medicine at Perdana University – RCSI, her ambition is a noble one indeed and its simply to help society live a healthy life and provide assistance to patients unable to pay for their medical expenses.
Though society acknowledges that becoming a doctor is difficult, it is near impossible to fathom exactly what that title and journey entails.
Seetha doesn’t come from a wealthy family – she can’t afford to further her studies overseas, hence she decided to work for two years before enrolling in the medical field. Despite scoring consecutive 10 A’s and 1B in her SPM, the brilliant student was denied scholarships due to being older than 22.
Like seriously? How could age be a factor for a bright student to not obtain any scholarship?
In other countries, students like Seetha would have been in the limelight and have long time received a scholarship for their preferred course. But in our homeland, the minister of higher education encourages students to use TikTok, while secondary school teachers are allowed to joke about matters concerning rape and the ills of such degrading words in a hyperbolic manner, while we are supposed to be ‘okay’ with it.
To quote the editorial by the New Straits Times (NST);
Yeo Chin Hooi swotted and crammed for 17 papers in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examinations last year, hoping to get the grades to get him into medical school. The years of study paid off: He scored 15 A1s. He also got an A2 for English and a B3 for science and technology.
Son of a lorry driver and a factory worker, he dreamt of securing a scholarship from the Public Service Department. The dream was shattered.
Despite the double standards and favouritism, Seetha refused to give up hope and persevered to make her dreams come to fruition.
She joined PU-RCSI in 2019, upon learning that she will be receiving a JPA scholarship. However, due to her being above the age of 22, she was not offered the prestigious scholarship. Despite being shortlisted twice, she was not even notified about the eligibility.
Her father, who works as a farmer in his agriculture business was almost on the brink of shutting it down due to unbearable losses he faced amid the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. Due to these unavoidable circumstances, her parents have also exhausted all their funds for their children’s education. To fulfil her dreams, she has taken a few loans namely, PTPTN, MIED, Insurance policy, parents’ EPF, etc. Unfortunately, she did not obtain any loans due to technical issues.
Every strong person has a breaking point. Apparently, Seetha was in the same situation and decided to seek help through Kitafund, which is a crowdfunding platform for medical and humanitarian needs and emergencies. If you are interested in the fund, check out the list below:
Expenses needed for 1 semester (Including Year 2 & 3 outstanding fees):
- Outstanding tuition fees for Year 2 & 3 = RM70,000
- Upcoming Tuition Fees (October) = RM30,000
- Accommodation & Utilities: RM600 x 6 months = RM3,600
- Food: RM15 x 30 days x 6 months = RM2,700
- Transport (car fuel) to hospital: RM250 x 6 months = RM1,500
- Transport (LRT) to campus: RM50 x 6 months = RM300
- Textbook and stationeries = RM500
TOTAL COST: RM108,600
Those who are keen to donate a small amount of money, kindly make your online donation HERE!
Every small bit of kindness can go a long way – whether it’s RM10 or RM100, you can contribute within your means to support Seetha to complete her education and become a successful doctor in the future. More information can be found on Kitafund’s website!
