Over 29,000 STPM leavers offered spots in public varsities in latest intake

 

Higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said his ministry was committed to ensuring that students would have the opportunity to further their studies at public universities. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

A total of 29,162 STPM graduates were offered spots at public universities in the 2024/2025 intake, with 22,449 of them Bumiputera students and 6,743 non-Bumiputera students.

This marked a slight decrease from the 29,533 STPM graduates who were offered spots at public universities in the 2023/2024 intake, which comprised 21,910 Bumiputera students and 7,623 non-Bumiputera students.

In a written parliamentary reply, higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir also said 15,993 Bumiputera and 2,810 non-Bumiputera matriculation graduates were offered places in public universities in the 2024/2025 intake – for a total of 18,803 students.

This was in comparison to the 16,557 Bumiputera and 2,796 non-Bumiputera matriculation graduates offered places in the 2023/2024 intake – for a total of 19,353 students.

Meanwhile, there were 3,775 Bumiputera and 133 non-Bumiputera foundation programme graduates offered spots in the 2024/2025 intake in public universities.

This was in comparison to the 3,768 Bumiputera and 50 non-Bumiputera foundation programme graduates offered spots in the 2023/2024 intake.

Zambry said the figures were based on the UPUOnline application system.

He was replying to a question from Chow Yu Hui (PH-Raub) about the number of STPM, matriculation and foundation graduates offered spots in public universities, broken down by ethnicity, in the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 intakes.

Zambry said the higher education ministry was committed to ensuring that students who had completed their STPM, matriculation, and foundation programmes would have the opportunity to further their studies.

“The selection of candidates for admission to public universities is fair and based on their qualifications,” he said.

In July 2023, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said quotas for Bumiputeras in institutions of higher learning should be maintained but stressed that slots should also be given to high-achievers from other communities.

Anwar said that setting aside the quota policy would be an unpopular move and claimed there would be an “all-out war” if the government scrapped the system.

“We have to defend the interests of the Bumiputeras and Malays as in the Federal Constitution and, at the same time, give space (in universities) for others who are deserving,” he said during a forum at Universiti Utara Malaysia in Sintok, Kedah. - FMT