Rihan Ali passed his Year 13 examination in 2019 but attempted it again last year, determined to get a National Toppers Scholarship for entry into medical school.
However, the 19-year-old’s dream of becoming a doctor was dashed at the announcement by the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Board (TSLB) that loans and scholarships for MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) students had been scrapped this year.
“Their decision has very negatively affected me, mentally and emotionally,” the former Vashist Muni College student said.
“At first, it was the stress of repeating Year 13 that was worrying me and now, when I finally got the desired mark to do MBBS, there is nothing for me.
“I don’t have the financial means to fulfil my dream.” Mr Ali said his parents, who were retirees, were unable to support his studies.
“I really feel bad. They are asking for loans from relatives to pay for my fees because I have received an offer letter for my MBBS studies.
“I did not want to apply for any other course because I worked hard for one year to achieve this and now that year has been wasted.
“I do not want to pursue another program and have that dream crushed.
“The social stigma from society and relatives for repeating Year 13 portrayed me as a failure and this has been compounded by the fact that TSLB has also made a new policy where students who repeat are not eligible for national toppers scholarships.
“Students who repeat are only eligible for loans and I think this policy is very unfair as I have done the same paper as the students who are going to get the scholarship.
“I think the best decision TSLB could have taken was to remove scholarship for MBBS but not the loans scheme so students can fulfil their dreams.”