MALAYSIA, 25/11/2024 (Asia News Channels) - Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir has emphasized that student admissions to public universities in Malaysia are determined by merit, not racial or ethnic considerations. Addressing concerns over limited seats in highly competitive courses such as medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy, he clarified the underlying reasons behind the issue.
“I have been informed that there is no discrimination in the admission of students. The basis is clear — if a student has achieved all A’s in their subjects, they will be offered a place,” Zambry said.
Speaking after the Perak Barisan Nasional (BN) convention, Zambry pointed out that while academic excellence is a primary criterion, admission to certain programs requires additional steps, including interviews.
Zambry dismissed claims of racial favoritism in the selection process, stating that all applicants are evaluated on an equal footing. “Some have requested specific quotas for their community. However, for us, admission to these critical fields is strictly based on merit. There is no justification for favouring one ethnicity over another,” he noted.
Perak MIC chairman M Ramasamy had earlier highlighted grievances over limited places for high-performing Indian students and advocated for expanded quotas for matriculation graduates. In response, Zambry acknowledged that the challenge is widespread across all ethnic groups.
“There are Malay students who face the same issue. Some achieve excellent results but do not get their first-choice courses due to high competition. The same applies to students from the Chinese, Kadazan, and Iban communities,” he explained.
Zambry reiterated the government’s commitment to transparency and fairness in the university admission process while recognizing the limitations imposed by high demand in specific fields.
In Malaysia, medicine is widely regarded as one of the most difficult courses to gain admission to due to its exceptionally high entry requirements. Generally, students aspiring to enter this field must achieve straight A’s in the science stream for their SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) examinations. Beyond that, they are also typically required to attain a near-perfect or exact 4.0 CGPA during their pre-university studies to stand a strong chance of being selected. This is due to the limited number of seats available for the program, making it highly competitive.
--ASIA NEWS CHANNELS