12 Dec The Singapore Muslim Women’s Association has set up a scholarship of SG$150,000 for non-Muslim women to apply
This article was originally published by Lianhe Zaobao on 8 December, 2022.
In order to cultivate more female role models for the Malay-Muslim community, the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association will award a total of SG$150,000 in postgraduate scholarships in the next 10 years to support women from various races and religions to continue their studies.
This scholarship is jointly established by the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association and the Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund Board. The two organisations will award SG$150,000 in scholarships each year from 2023 to 2033. Non-Muslim women can also apply, but successful applicants must volunteer at the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong announced the news when he delivered a speech at the association’s 70th anniversary dinner on Tuesday (December 6).
In the recently released United Nations Human Development Report, Singapore ranks seventh in terms of gender equality and is the only Asian country among the top ten. Nevertheless, Mr Wong said that although the status of local women has improved significantly over the years, everyone knows that there is still a gender gap in the local society.
Mr Wong believes that to promote the development of women, it is not enough to rely solely on the power of the government. Community organisations such as the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association also play a key role. “I hope this scholarship will help the Malay-Muslim community to cultivate more female role models, so that everyone can see that there is no limit to what women can achieve locally.”
One of the intentions of establishing the new scholarship is to support Muslim women who want to balance family and career, so that they can seek breakthroughs in both personal and professional life.
Applications for the scholarship will open in June next year, and details will be announced at a later date. Applicants can choose to study for a master’s or doctoral degree, covering subjects such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), women’s studies and gerontology, among others.