By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM, March 1 — National women’s doubles shuttler M. Thinaah, who is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Open University Malaysia (OUM), was presented a scholarship from the private education institution.
In a statement, the university said it is extending full financial support to the 26-year-old for the January 2023 to May 2024 period.
Thinaah enrolled in the Bachelor of Teaching English As Second Language (TESL) with Honours programme in May 2020.
The scholarship agreement was signed by OUM president and vice-chancellor Prof Ahmad Izanee Awang and Thinaah at an event at Menara OUM, Petaling Jaya, on February 28.
In his welcoming remarks, Izanee said the scholarship demonstrated OUM’s commitment to making higher education more accessible and affordable for athletes such as Thinaah.
“We want to help Thinaah excel both academically and athletically,” the statement quoted Izanee as saying.
He also noted that athletes like Thinaah lead incredibly demanding lives, consumed by rigorous training and competitions, both locally and abroad, and with schedules that are often unpredictable and subject to the demands of their sport.
Understanding these challenges, Izanee said OUM offers a flexible approach to education, with all of its programmes being held online to fit athletes’ studies around their lives while continuing to bring pride to the nation.
The scholarship presentation comes ahead of the French Open in Paris from March 5-10, which will see Thinaah and her partner Pearly Tan contest.
The world number 15 pairing will open their campaign against world number five Zhang Shu Xian-Zheng Yu of China.
Pearly-Thinaah became the first Malaysian women’s pair to win the French Open when they defeated two-time world champions Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara of Japan 21-19, 18-21 21-15 in the 2022 edition final.
