RACE-BASED quota system for education, which favours Bumiputeras, must be continued for at least another 10 to 20 years until they can close the gap with their non-Bumi peers, said a Malay educationist group.
Gabungan Pelajar-Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) president Alif Anas Md Noor said Bumiputera students still need help to catch up with their non-Bumiputera peers.
“We strongly disagree with any suggestion to scrap the quota policy now,” Alif told The Malaysian Insight.
“Academically, Bumiputera students are still not as strong as their non-Bumiputera peers so we still need a policy that can help them catch up.”
He was commenting on the ongoing debate whether Malaysia should retain the race-based quota system for matriculation and university intake.
Historically, Alif said non-Bumiputeras, namely the Chinese, have always performed better academically because the education system they brought from China was more advanced than Malay education.
“That is why I think we are 10 to 20 years behind and still need help to address the gap.
“We also believe that it is only through education that we can improve the socio-economic standing of the Bumiputera, but we will need 10 to 20 years more if we are to compete on a level playing field.
“It is not that Bumiputera students are afraid of competition but there is still that gap to address,” he said.
The quota policy that heavily favours Bumiputeras in university and matriculation programme admissions have been hotly debated after the release of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results earlier this month.
Some Pakatan Harapan politicians have urged the government to do away with the policy, which they said is detrimental to students and not the way forward.
The Malaysian Academic Movement (Gerak) also urged the government to opt for full meritocracy in higher education and to scrap the race-based quota.
Malay Consultative Council secretary-general Dr Hasan Mad blamed politicians for dictating the situation by not allowing for an equitable opportunity in education for all.
“We should not let politicians dictate the situation. If we let politicians mess with the issue, we will never achieve equitable opportunity in education.
“We don’t even have to talk about race, religion and other issues.
“If we have achieve this (equitable opportunity), then there will be no more complaints,” he told The Malaysian Insight.
Society should stand up, be responsible and push the government towards providing equitable opportunity in education, Hasan said, adding that the people should not just talk about the quota system and leave it to politicians to make decisions on education matters.
The quota policy, Hasan said, was created by politicians.
He said when former prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein introduced the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971, there was no mention of any “quota” to address the socio-economic gap between the Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras.
“Other people started using the term. Somehow, politicians introduced this ‘quota’ system along the way, leading to misinterpretations.”
The intake policy was meant to address the gap between the haves and have-nots and it so happened that the majority of the poor and the illiterate were Malays.
Many Malays had no access to equitable education opportunity and needed assistance and because of the situation, they became the priority for admission into some schools and hostels, he said.
Hasan said the question now was whether the gap was still wide enough to justify such a policy.
“If the gap is still there, it goes without saying that (the policy) is still necessary.
“If it has closed, with all having equitable opportunity to education, then there should be no more complaints.”
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
Make education a 1 system then only abolish the race based quota.
ReplyDeleteGovernment favoured certain race thru quota system in education so when this race graduated they faced quota system when applying for jobs.
ReplyDeleteIt is just as the saying goes. You reap what you sow. Fair isnt it.