MDIS’ commitment to ‘Educating with a heart’ sees Institute awarding close to $300,000 in scholarships and bursaries to more than 400 students
Malaysia, 1 June 2017 – The Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), Singapore’s oldest not-for-profit professional institute for lifelong learning, awarded $294,200 in scholarships and bursaries to 424 beneficiaries at its MDIS 22nd Scholarship & Bursary Awards Ceremony today.
MDIS is strongly committed to helping deserving and needful students pursue their education and develop to their fullest potential. This year, the institute has awarded special bursaries worth $5,000 each to two recipients to extend extra help to them and their families.
“For the past 22 years, MDIS has been a constant support to deserving and needful students and their families. We believe that everyone, regardless of their background and circumstances, should have the equal chance for an education and receive the same opportunities their peers enjoy,” said Dr R Theyvendran, Secretary-General of MDIS.
Extending extra help to beneficiaries
Beneficiary of the special bursary, Jerlyn Loh, aged 14 shared, “My parents and I are very thankful for MDIS’ big-hearted gesture. The bursaries mean a lot to me and my family, and it motivates me to strive harder despite an extremely stressful and difficult time in our lives. My parents will receive some relief for the substantial amount of medical expenses for the family. The award has inspired me to believe that I can make it through difficult times if I think positively and move forward”.
Jerlyn is a hardworking second year student at Greenridge Secondary School. She strives to excel in school despite a challenging home life. Sensible and matured, she is a big help to her mother; sharing the burden of care for a brother stricken with end stage renal failure and a grandfather who is partially bedridden. Jerlyn rushes back from school every day, even having to end her CCA (Co-Curricular Activity) early to assist her brother with his dialysis set up. Jerlyn herself was recently diagnosed with a hypoplastic kidney, with one kidney only functioning at 25% capacity. She would require long term medical attention.
The second beneficiary of the MDIS special bursary, 13 year-old Toh De En shared, “I am very grateful for the generous help MDIS has extended to me and my family. The bursary will go a long way in helping us tide through difficult times. It will also provide me the chance to pursue my interests and expand my horizons.”
The special bursaries are in addition to the $400 bursaries both Jerlyn and De En will receive, awarded to recipients at the secondary and post-secondary school levels.
Supporting Special Education Needs
Another key focus for MDIS is helping students from Special Education Schools realise their potential and providing them with opportunities to pursue their interests. In total, 36 children and youth with mild intellectual disability, autism, multiple disabilities and/or hearing impairment from 13 Special Education Schools will benefit from the awards.
Elhann Bin Sudirman is an earnest Primary 4 student at the Singapore School for the Deaf. Diagnosed with hearing loss from birth, Elhann finds it a struggle to communicate and express himself to his peers and others. Elhann’s dream is to travel the world, which would allow him to experience destinations and cultures visually to enrich his learning and knowledge.
Mdm Suhanah Bte Supari is mother to 15 year-old Elhann. She has been single-handedly raising Elhann and his two brothers since her husband’s passing. She said, “We are very thankful for MDIS’ generosity. This bursary will open up doors to experiences for Elhann which he would not have access to otherwise.”
MDIS awarded other bond-free bursaries to 371 local students from secondary, post-secondary and tertiary levels; and 17 local and international recipients for their pre-degree and degree studies.
The MDIS Scholarship & Bursary Awards are a part of the institute’s continued pledge to give back to the community; a pledge it has kept for more than 30 years now. MDIS’ first charitable event was held for 800 children from 18 charity homes back in 1983. To date, the institute has disbursed nearly $6 million worth of scholarships and bursaries to some 7,500 beneficiaries. The bursaries and scholarships are awarded through the MDIS Education Trust Fund.
About MDIS
Founded in 1956, the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) is Singapore’s oldest not-for-profit professional institute for lifelong learning. MDIS has two main subsidiaries – Management Development Institute of Singapore Pte Ltd to oversee its Singapore academic operations, and MDIS International Pte Ltd to further its globalisation strategy.
MDIS offers internationally accredited courses from globally recognised universities in France, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The institute has been EduTrust certified since 2010 and is one of the first Private Education Institutions to be registered under the Enhanced Registration Framework.
MDIS is one of the leading private education institutions (PEIs) to be ranked Top 2 among PEIs in Singapore, according to the Webometrics ranking of World Universities by Cybermetrics Lab in January 2017 (https://www.webometrics.info/en/Asia/Singapore%20). In 2015, MDIS received the Enterprise 50 Award for its contributions and resilience in spurring Singapore’s economy.
MDIS set up the Management Development and Consultancy in 1995 to address the training needs of the workforce. The Service Quality Centre was acquired in 2014 to diversify the institute’s offerings in training solutions and secure its position as a premium regional provider of training solutions.
MDIS has three international campuses – Tashkent in Uzbekistan (2008), Johor in Malaysia (2013) and Chennai in India (2015). MDIS also has representative offices in China, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, as well as agents throughout Southeast Asia.
For more information on MDIS, please visit www.mdis.edu.sg
新加坡管理发展学院 Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS)
https://www.fsi.com.my/mdis/
