MyMaster scholarship age limit stays at 35
Published on: Thursday, April 21, 2016
Putra Jaya: Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the ministry will maintain the maximum age limit of 35 for the MyMaster scholarship programme to encourage the younger generation to further their studies. "This is important in times of economic hardship for the students to equip themselves with more knowledge and skills, as well as conduct academic research as required by the nation. "As such, the ministry will maintain the existing maximum age limit," he said.
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In regards to the MyPhD scholarship programe, he said the ministry had decided to extend the maximum age to 45. He said the ministry was committed to award 20,000 scholarships this year under the MyBrain15 scholarship programme, whereby 15,000 were for MyMaster and 5,000 for MyPhD. "This is in line with the government's commitment to support educational pursuits in times of economic hardship," he said. The MyBrain15 scholarship pro-gramme is not the only government aid provided by the Higher Education Ministry for those pursuing Master's and PhD pro-grammes.
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In a separate interview, the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Seri Zaini Ujang said the government had provided other funding options for students pursuing higher education, including the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme and Research University fellowships. "There are the Bumiputera Academic Training Scheme, Academic Training Scheme for Lecturers, University Research Fellowship, National Higher Education Fund Corporation and Majlis Amanah Rakyat adjustable loans."
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In the updated terms and conditions posted on the MyBrain15 website, it was stipulated that ap-plicants of government financial aid for both the MyMaster and MyPhD programmes for 2016 cannot be older than 35. Zaini said the age limit was no issue considering the availability of other government aid. He said MyBrain15 was not a popular choice until recently. "Previously, there were only a handful of applicants and there was an excess in terms of funds." National Council of Professors member Professor Dr Zaid Ahmad said the age limit should be set at 40, considering that the retirement age had been raised to 60.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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