KUALA LUMPUR:The Malaysian Community and Education Foundation (MCEF) will mark a significant milestone this year as it celebrates its 50th anniversary on Sept 17.
In conjunction with this golden jubilee and to reflect MCEF’s commitment to supporting academically excellent students, MCEF is launching the Mendaki Scholarship — a new flagship initiative designed to provide financial support for academically outstanding and well-rounded young Malaysians who aspire to pursue or are pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses, covering computer science, medicine and health sciences, Artificial IntelligenceI/Machine Learning/Robotics at universities in Malaysia commencing with the 2025 academic year.
The Mendaki Scholarship, valued at up to RM500,000 per student, will cover the full course fees, accommodation and living expenses for the duration of their undergraduate studies at leading Malaysian public or private universities.
“We are proud of our 50-year journey of service to the community,” said MCEF chairman Ken Pushpanathan.
“To mark 50 years of giving, we are launching the Mendaki Scholarship as a natural progression of our mission — a long-term investment in Malaysia’s brightest talents and contributing towards a more equitable future growth of the nation.
“We’ve named this initiative the Mendaki Scholarship, from the Malay word ‘mendaki’, which means ‘to rise’ or ‘to ascend.’ This name reflects the spirit of the students we aim to support – those who rise against the odds, with ambition and resilience to succeed.”
Since its incorporation in 1975, MCEF has been steadfast in its mission to uplift Malaysia’s underserved communities by championing education as a key pillar of social progress. Over the past five decades, MCEF has disbursed more than RM152mil towards education, community development, social welfare and the arts.
MCEF’s key initiatives include support for:
> 2,080 Malaysian undergraduates at overseas and local universities who have benefitted from interest-free study loans under MCEF’s flagship Student Loan Scheme (SLS) since 1975;
> 60,678 young children between the ages of five to six years who were provided early access to education under MCEF’s Harapan Preschool Programme (2006 to 2019) which also provided teachers training to 3,586 teachers and teachers’ aides including sponsoring some teachers to pursue tertiary education in early child development, before the programme was handed over to the government;
> 2,581 secondary school students from underprivileged backgrounds who scored straight 7As in their UPSR examination were awarded annual scholarships up to SPM level under MCEF’s Project Ilham (2008 to 2018) aimed at encouraging, guiding and inspiring these students. Annual camps were also held to foster personal growth, leadership and academic motivation;
> Various indigenous groups, hard-core poor youths including the academically disadvantaged, marginalised communities, visually impaired individuals and women who have received financial assistance from MCEF’s Community and Welfare grants to help them pursue vocational and life skills training;
> Students and institutions in the field of creative arts — including dance, music, theatre and film.
In line with MCEF’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence, it continues to acknowledge and reward outstanding academic performance by converting SLS loans into full scholarships for graduates achieving first-class honours.
Applications for the Mendaki Scholarship are now open to eligible Malaysians who have secured full-time undergraduate admissions or are currently pursuing their undergraduate courses at top Malaysian universities until Sept 15.
For details on eligibility and how to apply, visit www.mcef.com.my.
