Regional Studies Programme and Scholarship Introduced

29 Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Education (a) when was the Regional Studies Programme (RSP) and its scholarship introduced; (b) since its introduction, how many students have been granted the RSP scholarship; and (c) what is the breakdown of the scholarship recipients based on ethnicity.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Regional Studies Programme (RSP) and the RSP scholarship was introduced in 2008, with the aim to nurture a segment of non-Malays in each generation who are comfortably conversant in the Malay Language and able to engage regional countries effectively. RSP students offer either Malay (Special Programme) or Bahasa Indonesia as a third language. They also have the opportunities to experience school-based enrichment modules on Understanding Southeast Asia; and participate in learning journeys as well as take part in cultural camps and immersion trips to Southeast Asian countries.

About 400 of every secondary school student cohort take part in the RSP, of which 100 are given the scholarships. Around 90% of the recipients are Chinese and 10% are Indian and Other Races.