MCA president Wee Ka Siong today called on the government to elaborate on its statement that all Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia students with 10As and more will get a place in the government matriculation programme, irrespective of race and background.

“I was overjoyed upon reading the announcement. However, upon further consideration, the challenge remains on how to accommodate all high achievers without compromising the Bumiputera quota system,” said Wee.

“Each year, the number of Chinese students achieving 10As far exceeds the number of Chinese students admitted to pre-university classes.

“If the policy on admitting Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera students remains unchanged, how will all these 10A achievers be automatically admitted?” he asked.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said matriculation spots will be available to all SPM top scorers to reduce “tensions” over the education system.

The Education Ministry (MOE) said it will work with the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) to fulfil the prime minister’s pledge.

Wee today said that the MOE had always reserved a 10% quota for non-Bumiputera students based on actual admissions rather than capacity

“In other words, if Bumiputera students do not fill all the places in the matriculation programme, non-Bumiputera students cannot exceed 10% of the student intake.

“Based on recent data, there are more than 1,000 Chinese students (in the matriculation programme), accounting for 5.5-6% of total admissions, while Indian students account for 3.6%.

“Is the government planning to base admissions on capacity rather than non-Bumiputera student numbers to determine the 10% quota?” asked Wee.

He said the MOE and MOHE must clarify the details to ensure consistency between what is announced and what is implemented.

“If the prime minister’s announcement can be fully implemented, it will be a successful reform and PMX should be commended for that,” he said, referring to Anwatr Ibrahim, who is the 10th prime minister of Malaysia. – July 2, 2024