on scholarships and tuition grants

it was only 3 years ago that I started looking at scholarships and university programmes. at times, I resent the fact that some of these prestigious scholarships go to those whose families are well-to-do and more than able to afford an overseas education for their child.

the essence of a scholarship is to provide education for those who cannot afford it. only then will the bonds work out for the organization. not only does it help to create more overseas or local graduates, thus increasing the standard of education on a national/social level, it also helps the organization to retain the talents they have so heavily invested in.

in recent years, many scholarship holders break their 4/6 years bonds. in most cases, these are the people whose family could afford their overseas education, shown by their financial capability to break the expensive bonds, even without the scholarship. so in this case, you actually have one less graduate (local and overseas) and the company does not get any good brain to work for them (this is if the bond-breaking payout is equal to the amount invested in the scholar's education). if the scholarships were reserved for those whose families are not well off, then this scholarship would have served it's purpose well. first it has provided the desired education which the student could not have had without the scholarship and, since breaking bond would prove too expensive for the young lad, the organization would have got a talented young man spending the prime of his life for them, making their investment more than worth it.

but now the question is, how do you qualify those who are "poor enough" for a scholarship?