KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 ― Fewer Bumiputera students will gain vital international exposure with Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) cutting the number of foreign scholarships, Perkasa said today.

Having studied abroad previously, Perkasa education bureau chief Datuk Sirajuddin Salleh said the experience also helped students to better understand their own country.

“When you study abroad, you are able to widen your perception and exposure. Studying overseas can also make us realise and appreciate the good things we have in our own country,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted.

“Studying overseas can change our perception on foreigners, especially the white people. We can see they have their ugly sides, their criminals and poor people, we can learn that they are just like us.”

He added that while it is good to try and boost local institutions, it would be unfair to Bumiputera students who do not have the financial means to study overseas.

Earlier today, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government will limit the number of Mara students allowed to continue their studies abroad to 1,500 annually.

He was reported by the New Straits Times as saying that in keeping with the government’s plan to boost local institutions, the students must receive their basic education in the country before continuing their study overseas.