KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: The 19-year-old couldn't suppress a happy grin as he received his Singapore Scholarship Award from the High Commissioner yesterday.

Mithran Vythinathan scored four As in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia examination.

But his dream of becoming an engineer was nearly not fulfilled because he could not get a scholarship.

His elated mother Malligarani Nadason said they had tried applying for so many scholarships, but were unsuccessful.

Mithran said: "I feel privileged to receive this scholarship. There are many who did well but are struggling to further their studies because their families are not well-off."

He will be studying mechanical engineering at the National University Of Singapore (NUS) and hopes to do a Masters before he comes home "to contribute to the development of the country".

Since the scholarship was first awarded in 1998, 447 students had received it, including 38 Malaysians.

The programme was set up by then prime minister Goh Chok Tong at the time of the Asian financial crisis to ensure good educational opportunities for students in Asean countries.

Three other Malaysians received scholarships from Singapore High Commissioner T. Jasudasen yesterday.

Elaine Wong and Foo Fang Hai will be studying accountancy at Singapore Management University.

Tan Zhong Lin will study Mathematics and Economics at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

The four were selected not just because of their excellent academic results, but also their active participation in co-curricular activities and leadership qualities.

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