I was surprised and shocked that Eng Kai Er, the A*Star scholarship holder who was convicted and fined in court for public nudity, has been allowed to keep her study grant. I think this reflects badly on A*Star as an institution which is retaining a scholar who has committed a highly gross and disturbing act in full public view.

By retaining her status, it may appear that A*Star is condoning her actions and might have inevitably set a precedent whereby future scholars can engage in acts of misdemeanour and then get away with them. It certainly makes the public question whether A*Star has strict standards in both selecting and retaining their scholars.

A few junior college students whom I am currently mentoring have said that they are re-considering their intentions to apply for A*Star scholarships for fear that they would be associated with an institution which seemingly tolerates and accepts deviant behaviour among its elite scholars. As a holder of a couple of scholarships myself, I would certainly not have chosen to be associated with an institution now infamous for its questionable policy in retaining its scholars.

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