NS Foundation Awards of Excellence 2009.

9.5.2009.

Although many months delayed and with a postponement, the ceremonies were finally held Friday 8th. May. I thought it would be a short one with maybe 100 people. In fact 1000 people came and it lasted almost 4 hours - until 6 p.m. And it wasn't really for excellence, because financial assisstance for about 200 new undergraduates were also given out. Obviously the MB was stretching the political mileage. That's why the RM 25,000 for First Class Honours given last year was slashed by 60% to 10,000 this year. I wonder if there'll be anything next year.

For impact, NSF could have been more selective and not include Subjects like Japanese Language and Human Resources, important as they are in their own standing. Instead, the Professional Degrees should have been highlighted, and local universities only considered. If NSF were to open the floodgates, the award will become too large and ineffectual. The underlying philosophy should be selective emphasis.

I liked it when I attended a university convocation once when the VC rightly pointed out in his address that the real congratulations should be given to the parents and guardians, because it's their unfailing support of the students that usually enabled the students to study well and succeed.

The studying is the easy part. It's the long, untiring years of waking up the child in the darkness of the dawn, feeding him, sending him to school and fetching him back when in primary school, cajoling him to study hard, scrimping and saving - for most parents - so that he has the books and the clothing and the numerous fees the school asks for, and later climbing stairs and knocking doors so that whatever financial assisstance is available is obtained to help him through universty, that is the tough part.

And at the end of it all, as in the Awards ceremony, all worldly fruitation of the studentship goes to the young graduate. The parents want nothing of it, except for the pride of having succeeeded in bringing up the child well. No amount of money can buy that. 

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