Extend Permata Pintar to local varsities, Govt urged

THE Permata Pintar pre-university programme for intellectually gifted and talented students should be extended to more local public universities.

Mahasiswa Nasional representative Muhammad Nur Sadiqin Mohd Khusni, who is a final year law student at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said the programme had allowed many intellectually talented youths from the lower income group to have an equal opportunity to compete at the global level.

“Many think Permata Pintar is just a pre-school programme for children but it is actually an initiative by the Government to improve the livelihood of the young Malays,” he said while debating the motion religion and education.

He cited a few examples of Malay youths including Elena Zafrul who will take up Mathematics at the University of Iowa, Amirul Fitri Zainol Abidin at John Hopkins University doing Mathematics, and Nur Syazana Natasha Hisham taking up her doctorate on nanotechnology at University College London.

He also urged the authorities to monitor social media to curb university students from being influenced by the Islamic State’s propaganda.