Gates scholars: No whites
By Bala Shah

Microsoft is the world’s most successful software company and has earned $500 Billion in revenue since its inception.  It has also made its founder Bill Gates the richest man in the world. Over the last few years, Bill Gates has won millions of fans by donating billions of dollars to charity and social causes.

Bill Gates has his heart in the right place.  But as you can imagine even donating billions can sometimes lead to unforeseen controversy.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donated $1 Billion for the establishment of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program (GMS) in 1999. The billion dollars will ensure the fund just needs to work off the bank interest to give the money to needy students.  To be eligible for such scholarships, young men and women need to have a certain level of academic achievement and also have done some form of community service.

What has not gone down too well with poor white American students is that the Gates Millennium Scholars Program excludes them and is only for ‘African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander American, or Hispanic Americans’.  This scholarship is only for American citizens or permanent residents.

This Scholarship Fund has helped 13 thousand Americans and has a graduation rate of 80 percent. 

Currently, there is some debate in USA whether any such billion dollar scholarship fund should be based entirely on the needs of deserving students rather than banning only white Americans.

What do you think?