• ECM Libra Foundation earlier announced a RM15 million allocation to fund 50 students from ASEAN nations for the 2020/2021 Academic Year
• Application for scholarship to pursue A-Level programme open until 31 January 2021

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach - 9 December 2020 - With the academic year ending, students would already be researching and planning their next steps in education. For some, their choices may be limited due to the financial pressures brought upon by the pandemic -- especially amongst the underserved communities. To ensure education continues to be prioritised, ECM Libra Foundation's ASEAN Scholarship Programme is an opportunity for these students to live up to their academic potential.

20 full and 30 partial scholarships will be awarded to Malaysian students who have completed or will be completing SPM, or from Year 7 or equivalent onwards to pursue either an A-Level or an IGCSE programme in Epsom College in Malaysia (ECiM), the only international campus of the prestigious Epsom College in the United Kingdom.

One of the most common education opportunity gaps in Malaysia is the lack of financial resources faced by lower-income households. The inability of families to fund things like test-preparation, tutoring, or extra-curricular activities often results to lower academic achievement, and this scholarship was initiated to bridge that gap.

"The pandemic has disrupted a lot of sectors in our country and among them, education. It has changed the way students experience learning and school life. We want to ensure that education remains a top priority for families. This scholarship would provide the brightest young minds of our country the opportunity to realise their academic potential," said Dato' Lim Kian Onn, the co-founder of ECM Libra Foundation.

Dr Murray Tod, Headmaster of ECiMsaid, "Amidst all that is happening around the world today, we constantly remind our students that learning never stops. The future of education requires for us to be innovative and flexible to ensure that we constantly deliver the highest possible academic rigour for our students."

"We are hugely proud of the academic achievements of our Epsom students, with the class of 2020 attaining the best ever IGCSE and A-level results in our history, and we look forward to future generations of young scholars building upon this outstanding success."

ECiM's 15-month A-Levels is a highly sought after programme given its distinct approach to learning compared to the traditional classroom setting. The curriculum adopts a wide range of teaching methods from debate to practical examination; and a particularly unique one which is the Oxbridge-style tutorial method, which encourages student led discussion on a one-to-one basis with the teaching staff.

The academic year intake has been revised to accommodate SPM candidates whose examinations were postponed to 22 February 2021 onwards.

Among those who have been the recipient of their scholarship at ECiM is Yugendran Rajaendran who recently earned a spot in the prestigious Stanford University. The Klang-born student will be joining the Class of 2021 pursuing a double degree in Bioengineering and Mathematical and Computational Science.

Yugendran's notable academic excellence includes 5 A* results for his A-Levels examination that was bolstered by sheer hard work and support from the ECiM teaching faculty. He also graduated Form 5 with straight 11A+ in the SPM examinations. After completing his studies, Yugendran aspires to eventually work with the Ministry of Health in shaping public policies to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to all Malaysians.

Application for the ASEAN Scholarship Programme remains open until 31 January 2021.

For more information on the ECM Libra Foundation ASEAN Scholarship Fund, please visit: https://www.ecmlibrafoundation.com/scholarships2020-21/