Discriminatory uni admissions must be addressed

 

Every year, when the public university admissions (UPU) system is being updated, those of us in civil society and NGOs serving persons with disabilities brace ourselves for the flood of panicked pleas from disabled students desperate to pursue higher education yet denied their rightful course choices because of arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions.

Despite repeated assurances from the Higher Education Ministry that this issue was resolved, it continues to resurface, leaving students traumatised and their futures jeopardised.

This is not a new problem. As far back as the 1970s, disabled students have raised concerns about exclusionary practices in Malaysia’s education system.

As understanding and recognition of disability has grown over the decades, our systems have unfortunately not caught up in terms of accessibility.

In 2021, UPU’s system was found to be automatically filtering course options for applicants who declared their disabled status, restricting them to “disabled-friendly” programmes regardless of merit.

Disabled students who had done incredibly well academically were excluded from competitive courses of their choice, like engineering and sciences, solely due to their disability status.

Electrical engineering

Since then, efforts were made via various stakeholders, activists, and policy advocates, which led to the ministry acknowledging that this violated Malaysia’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and agreeing to remove the tagging.

By 2022 and 2023, the Higher Education Ministry publicly stated that the filtering mechanism had been fixed. Yet in August 2025, we again see multiple reports surfacing.

In one of the recent cases this year, one student reached out to an autistic advocate: he explained that despite scoring a perfect 4.00 in PSPM (Peperiksaan Semester Program Matrikulasi), eight of his preferred courses, including civil engineering, vanished from his UPU account simply after entering his disabled status.

Another student who also met all the requirements for a mathematics programme described being inexplicably blocked and redirected to unrelated courses.

These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a recurring pattern where disabled students with proven merit are stripped of their choices upon disclosure of disability status.

We’ve even seen the responses they receive. Automated and scripted system messages that reveal a poor understanding of what support an autistic student needs.

Higher Education Ministry building

In one reply from the Public University Admissions unit (BKPA), the only response given was:

“Setelah membuat semakan, pihak BKPA mendapati bahawa calon adalah pemegang kad OKU bagi kategori Pembelajaran-Autisme.”

(After checking, BKPA found that the candidate is a disabled person cardholder in the learning-autism category)

No further justification was provided. The system merely acknowledged the student’s disability status and then ceased engagement.

In another case, a student stated: “Setelah menyemak fasa 3 permohonan UPU, data tersebut telah hilang. Saya telah melepasi syarat am dan syarat khas bidang yang telah dimohon.”

(After reviewing phase 3 of the UPU application, the data was lost. I have passed the general requirements and special requirements for the field I have applied for.)

These examples are more than bureaucratic mishaps, as they reflect a system that quietly denies deserving students their future.

Stop punishing disabled students for existing

We do note that this matter has now been raised through official platforms and that the relevant departments and ministries have taken swift steps to remedy the problem.

Nevertheless, we urge further decisive and transparent action to address the root of this issue, ensuring that such systemic barriers are permanently removed and do not recur.

Education is supposed to be limitless. It is meant to open doors, to create opportunities, to help us reach the sky. But the way this system operates, it feels as though that sky is only reserved for a select few and disabled students are told to stay grounded, to settle for less.

And these are just the cases that have reached us - the ones that have found their way to community representatives and spoken up.

What about those who quietly accept these limits, believing this is their only chance to study? What about those who choose silence because it’s either accepting restricted options or losing the chance at education altogether?

This ongoing discrimination particularly harms autistic students, those with learning disabilities, and sensory disabilities, whose access needs differ from accessible physical infrastructure but could be met by supportive academic environments.

Denying them entry to courses like mathematics, computer science, or statistics is unjustifiable and rooted in long-established prejudice rather than policy.

We urge the following steps to be taken:

1. A clear explanation from the Ministry of Higher Education on why filtering persists, supported by system documentation and transparency in decision-making.

2. A review of disability-based filtering in UPU and the reinstatement of course options for affected applicants, with recognition that disabled students are not a homogenous group and have differing accessibility needs that require flexible, human-centred approaches.

3. An audit of admissions data from 2020 to 2025 and publication of findings on the treatment of disabled applicants.

4. The removal of exclusionary disability clauses from course requirements across all public universities.

5. Creation of a fair complaint and appeal mechanism that protects applicants from penalties.

6. Meaningful engagement with disabled person-led organisations and lived experience experts in shaping education policy reforms, ensuring future education policies reflect the diverse realities and accessibility needs across different disability groups.

We would like to reiterate, Malaysia ratified the UNCRPD in 2010, committing to equal access to education. Yet, year after year, disabled students face structural exclusion masked as “system limitations”. This is also disproportionately affecting learners with disabilities.

Above all, education is so vital to everyone.

Why slam the door on their dreams?

Why are we doing this to people with disabilities? Why are we restricting their choices and making them feel like their dreams and opportunities don’t matter?

At a time when this country desperately needs more youth contributing their skills and knowledge towards nation-building, why are we shutting out those who are ready to give back? We ask why we don’t see more disabled leaders, but how can we, when we keep excluding them from the very start?

For most Malaysians, public universities are their beacon of hope. They are the places where the rakyat place their trust, believing education can open doors to a better quality of life.

Disabled students hold those same hopes to sit side by side with their peers, not as charity cases or exceptions, but as equals with the same hopes and dreams.

Yet we continually make it harder for them, compounded by obstacles and extra costs that narrow their choices and shut them out of paths they deserve. Not everyone has the means to turn to private universities.

Have we really stopped to look at what that means? To feel what it’s like to be told your ambition is not valid because of who you are? If we speak of Malaysia Madani, shouldn’t this be where we start, by asking how we treat those who most need our solidarity, and whether we are truly willing to open the doors that we keep promising will be open to all?

And this comes at a time when Malaysia is chairing Asean, proudly speaking of inclusion and regional progress. Yet here we are, with our own education system quietly closing its doors on disabled students.

How do we claim to lead an “inclusive Asean” when our own policies fail those at home? Are we truly making the changes we declare on international stages, or are we content with slogans while systemic barriers remain? If we are serious about being inclusive, it must begin here, in our own institutions, in the way we treat our own rakyat.

Education is supposed to open doors, not close them. Yet here we are, watching those doors shut for some of the very students who most need them.

These are just the cases that reached us, but we know there are many more who stay silent, accepting limits because they feel they have no choice.

We cannot build a truly inclusive Malaysia or an inclusive Asean if our own systems continue to exclude. This is not only a policy failure, but it is a moral one.

We, the undersigned, call on the Higher Education Ministry, public universities, and all responsible authorities to act now. And above all, honour the promise of education as a right for all.

We need to echo Malala Yousafzai’s words, “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world”, reinforcing the transformative power of education for all.

The disabled community needs this more than ever to nurture stronger leaders and shape our shared future. Let our disabled students be free to chase their dreams.

Signatories

1. Beatrice Leong, autistic gender-disability activist, independent documentary filmmaker.

2. Dr Amar-Singh HSS, consultant paediatrician, child-disability activist.

3. Ng Lai Thin, inclusive educator, disability-inclusion advocate, author of “Small Steps, Big Changes for Preschool Inclusion”.

4. Yuenwah San, disabled rights-ageing-gender intersectionality advocate.

5. Anit Kaur Randhawa, parent advocate, advocate and solicitor.

6. The OKU Rights Matter Project

7. Ngau Kao Pin, chartered accountant, father of a level 2 autistic boy.

8. Dr Shyielathy Arumugam, parent advocate

9. Tina Yap Li Yan, social worker

10. Dr Ezura Madiana Monoto, family medicine consultant UKM, mother to two children with special needs.

11. Aziph Mustapha, head of culture and engagement, and father to a 17-year-old who’s neurodivergent, curious, and wonderfully wired in his own way.

12. Rafidah Rafizah Ahmad, disability activist, founder and president of Gabungan Anak-Anak Palsi Serebrum (Gaps), mother of a young adult with cerebral palsy.

13. Melanie Oh, executive director, mother of a child born with Down Syndrome.

14. Dr Wong Tze Peng, speech-language therapist, university faculty member in special and inclusive education.

15. Yap Sook Yee, disability activist and mother of a child with spinal muscular atrophy.

16. Ch’ng B’ao Zhong, autistic adult, licensed and registered counsellor.

17. Lee Sook Foong, operations director at Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation National Centre

18. Srividhya Ganapathy, co-chairperson Crib Foundation, child-disability activist, adult with ADHD.

19. Persatuan Kebajikan Sokongan Keluarga Selangor & KL (Family Frontiers)

20. Dr Ching Bih Hwa, developmental paediatrician, Regency Specialist Hospital

21. Khoo E-May, late diagnosed autistic adult, disabled, HRDC accredited trainer, self-advocate.

22. Bathmavathi Krishnan, wheelchair-using student, University of Malaya 1976-1978; senator at Parliament Upper House 2013-2016, 2016-2019.

23. Ser Kwee Mui, mother of a young adult with ADHD and autism.

24. Dr Lee Hwee Ming, rehabilitation physician, and father to an autistic child.

25. Dr Kuria Dip Silas, mother to an autistic child.

26. Desiree Kaur, parent advocate, Project Haans founder and Kita Family podcaster.

27. Nik Nadia Nik Mohd Yusoff, parent advocate, moderator of Autisme Malaysia Facebook and Kita Family podcaster.

28. Faizura Nazri, mother to an autistic child.

29. Joyce Teoh Lay Bee, parent advocate, Persatuan Alumni Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor (Alumni KDSF)

30. Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower)

31. Siuman Collective

32. Hasbeemasputra Abu Bakar, disabled disability advocate

33. Tay Chia Yi, speech-language therapist

34. Dr Siti Sarah Aishah Suhaidi, mother of an autistic child and paediatrician.

35. Dr Balkis Nachiah, medical officer UD14 and parent of autistic children.

36. Soheir Khatib, parent

37. Alvin Teoh, parent advocate

38. Tracey Tan, parent

39. Aaron Lim Hong Rong, member of Dewan Muda Johor (Jawatankuasa Pendidikan dan Penerangan)

40. Nadiah Hanim Abdul Latif, child rights advocate

41. Teong Chia Ying, occupational therapist

42. Teo Chai Hoon, parent

43. Goo Tzy Yeen, speech and language therapist

44. Tok Swei Ing, parent

45. Koh Lee Kiaw, parent

46. Intan Nahariah Yaacob, parent and advocate for neurodiversity at work.

47. Sherrene Teh, registered music therapist

48. Allida MS, rare disease advocate

49. Retired senator Ras Adiba Radzi, president of Persatuan OKU Sentral & Persatuan Para Menembak Malaysia.

50. Leonard Ng, spouse & Spell user

51. Kwan Wei Yen, parent

52. Sah Henn Wei, parent

53. Dunstan Lim, chairperson & advocate, Sarawak OKU Skills Development Association (Sosda)

54. Izyan Nadiah Noh, disability-inclusion advocate, mother of a rare disease child.

55. Raizil Emeli Juzilman, parent of an autistic son

56. Ayu Syahira Zaili, parent

57. Dr Fahmi Hassan, pharmacist

58. Jeremiah Liew Yong Sin, lecturer and registered counsellor

59. Nur Firdaus Zulkifli, medical student

60. Naziaty Yaacob, PhD, director, Xiron ES, and person with multiple disabilities.

61. Miza Marsya Roslan, individual with rare disease and rare disease advocate.

62. Ili Akmal binti Mohd Razif, individual with ADHD, asperger, and mild autism.

63. Izzat Zaid, registered clinical psychologist

64. Khairudin Rohani, chemist

65. Darshan Singh, parent

66. Surendra Ananth, advocate and solicitor

67. Ahmad Razif Abdul Wahab, parent to autistic children

68. Nurulhuda Zaki, ADHD and registered psychologist, founder of Shine and Hope Therapy.

69. Nur Adilah Nasser, registered clinical psychologist

70. Toh Ting Jii, PhD student with AuDHD, mother to three boys with ADHD and autism.

71. Ivy Josiah, activist

72. Nazril Aizudin Nasser Ansari, autistic student, one of the victims affected by the discriminatory filtering.

73. Dr Goh Xin Yi, dentist and clinical hypnotherapist

74. Siti Norziyana, president, Persatuan Dyslexia Malaysia

75. Aiman Amri, registered clinical psychologist

76. Lim Yee Hong, Level 1 ASD student & advocate

77. Zatur-Rawihah Ismail, parent

78. Alicia Chui, Level 1 ASD & advocate

79. SIS Forum (Malaysia)

80. Law Phoy San, parent

81. Nur Hana Liyana Yusli, ADHD, Level 1 ASD, autistic advocate

82. Tan Shi Yee, Level 1 ASD, advocate, accounting lecturer, neuroinclusive trainer, PhD candidate, student of Master of Arts in Psychology.

83. Nur “Alyaa” Basyirah Nor Israj, autistic and Diploma in Science student, UiTM Tapah.

84. Koh Wee Sun, chairperson of Persatuan Penyayang Kanak Kanak Istimewa Johor Bahru.

85. Chiau Boon Wei, parent

86. Chong Chia Wen, parent

87. Yeoh Ming Hwan, ADHD adult with disabled person card, art college lecturer.

88. Emelyn Lee, Level 1 ASD

89. Fairus Farihah Remly, former volunteer for Persatuan Mahasiswa Istimewa Universiti Malaya (Permium), disability inclusion advocate.

90. Jack Leong, level 1 ASD

91. Nick Ng, level 1 ASD

92. Emma, former volunteer for Persatuan Mahasiswa Istimewa Universiti Malaya (Permium), disability inclusion advocate.

93. Abdul Adieka Amirul, MDD & Type 1 ASD, autistic self-advocate.

94. Gracious Yoong Chen Xin, ADHD and Level 1 ASD adult, self-advocate, student of Master of Arts (Visual Arts) at Universiti Malaya.

95. Ooi Ivan, ADHD+ Level 1 ASD, secondary school teacher.

96. Dr Ali Azman, consultant paediatrician and parent advocate, Green Apple Hippotherapy.

97. Meera Samanther, parent advocate, women’s rights activist

98. Vince Leong, mentally ill person, digital marketing analyst

99. Jacintha Roland, parent

100. Moses Choo, blind advocate for disabled persons’ rights, and former member (2016-2021), National Council under the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2008.

101. Irene Wong, mother of twins with ASD level 1, quality assurance team lead, Integrated DNA Technologies PTE Ltd.

102. Stephanie De Souza, speech language therapist

103. Wo Su Woan, lecturer

104. Deaf Advocacy and Wellbeing National Organisation (Dawn)

105. Ahmad Fawaz, adult with ASD

106. Dr Cheah Boon Eu, medical officer & neurodivergent individual

107. Salim Harmanain, advocate & solicitor with cerebral palsy, disability advocate.

108. Dr Mastura Mahamed, academician, media trainer, disability inclusion advocate, and person with cerebral palsy.

109. Alyson Su Ying Yeng, parent of autistic child

110. Haryati Mohd Nordin, parent of autistic child

111. Wan Maryam Wan Zulkipli, adult with ADHD and ASD, mild to moderate.

112. Christine Lee, wheelchair user and disability advocate.

113. Sam Wong, wheelchair user & disability advocate.

114. Lim Tien Hong (PhD), blind advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities.

115. Nur Zahra Rihana Azam, matriculation student

116. Fatimah Az-Zahraa Amir Farid, occupational therapist

117. Low Wei Lun, adult with autism

118. Zaini Mat Abas, co-founder, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Pondok OKU

119. Nazean Jomhari, researcher and lecturer at Universiti Malaya, co-founder of Yayasan Faqeh.

120. Rohaniza Jamili, parent of a neurodivergent child.

121. Derrick Tan Jia Xin, Level 1 ASD

122. Lee Khiam Jin (PhD), vice president, Minds Association of Penang, parent.

123. Loh Cheng Kooi, activist

124. Mariam Lim, activist

125. Ivy Tan Jia Bao, board-certified music therapist, founder of Life Tunes Music.

126. Dr Aida Abdul Aziz, consultant radiologist, Gleneagles Hospital Johor, and mother of an autistic son.

127. Chai Tze Ru, trainee clinical psychologist

128. Engku Mohd Hairulnizam Tuan Ahmad, chairperson, Persatuan Autisme Terengganu (Paut).

129. Hasbe Zuraini Abu Bakar, committee, Persatuan Autisme Terengganu (Paut)

130. Nurulhuda Mohammed, mother of a magnificent asperger HFA son.

131. Tee Sook Sing, secretary of Persatuan Penyayang Kanak-Kanak Istimewa JB, mother of 2 children.

132. Chu Maw Nian, father of vision-impaired disabled child

133. Dawn Tan, parent

134. Qistina Ellysha Rashid, trainee clinical psychologist

135. Cheng Miao Shan, trainee clinical psychologist

136. Karen Kee, mother to a son with ASD Level 1

137. Norsuriani Che Musa, mom of a CP boy.

138. Samuel Kai Mun Chew (PhD), Interpreter (BIM, ASL, and IS - spoken English, Malay, and Mandarin)

139. Nurul Izzah Abdul Aziz, mom of CP boy

140. Khairul Musa, NGO

141. Vasanthi Govindan, guardian of autistic teenager

142. Tau Fong Kian, mother of autistic son

143. See Seow Chu, computing analyst and part-time teacher

144. Nadia Mohd Ismail, mother to an ASD Level 1 daughter

145. Noor Hafizar Hashim, mother of CP boy

146. Dr Adli Azam, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon, Gleneagles Hospital Johor, father of autistic son

147. Malicca Ratne, president, Soroptimist International Pearl of the Orient

148. Dr Nadirah Babji, medical doctor and public health/gender researcher.

149. Wang Shu Xiang, physiotherapy, NGO

150. David Ananth, charter president of Rotary Club Klang Central

151. Fatimah Insyirah Ahmad Kamal Peong, teacher at an autism centre.

152. Rev Ong Bee Leng, chairperson of Pertubuhan Kebajikan OKU Beacon and parent advocate.

153. Teh Guih Poo, mother of an autistic son

154. Esther Ng Zi En, trainee clinical psychologist

155. Dr Wong Woan Yiing, paediatrician

156. Loke Pui Kuan, mother of an ASD child

157. Manjula Aryaduray, secretary, Gabungan Anak-Anak Palsi Serebrum (Gaps), mother of a teenager with cerebral palsy.

158. Saravanan Selanduray, audiologist

159. Kashmira Thiagarajan, trainee clinical psychologist

160. Dr Izam Suziani Ismail, autism advocate & care partner, Spell licensed user.

161. Ng Kok Ping, father of ASD Child,

162. Dr Shobhana Sivandan, radiologist UD15

163. Dr Sankari Ganesh, child & adolescent psychiatrist

164. Noraishah Ismail, concerned citizen

165. Dr Connie Teo Kai Ru, paediatrician

166. Ivy Peik Luo Yin, mother of two visually impaired boys

167. Chai Jing Yun, autistic adult

168. Dr Ngim Chin Aik, cardiologist

169. Dr Woon Teck Kim, paediatrician

170. Kok Huey Huey, mother of two ASD kids.

171. Moong Lee Peng, mother of a child with Krabbe

172. Arwinderjit Singh, dad of twins

173. Gan Jun Qi, parent to an autistic child, entrepreneur.

174. Nur Athirah Mohd, mother of CP girl and sister at Peads ICU HM

175. Karina Yong Ker-Ai, senior policy researcher, and public health advocate

176. Ooi Choon Ee, adult with ADHD, gym owner

177. Nurhidayatul Diana Ahmad Zaidi, adult with ADHD

178. Sam Loh

179. Dhania Sorfina Md Zaki Fadzil, ADHD, disabled person, paediatric occupational therapist, founder of At Peace Therapeutic Space.

180. Fahda Nur Ahmad Kamar, member of the board of advisors, Anak Istimewa Selangor (Anis)

181. Madeleine Chang Huijia, trainee clinical psychologist

182. Azhanni Che Mo’in, mother to an autistic child

183. Syuhanaz Saharudin, stepmother to an autistic + ADD teenager

184. Dr Michelle Chan, parent of a child with ASD

185. Syafiqah Saharudin, speech language therapist

186. Dr Louis Siao, dentist

187. Dr Wong Leh Chen, medical officer

188. Siti Athirah Saharudin, IT officer

189. Erni Fadzila Saharudin, housewife

190. Cham Kam Fong, teacher (PPKI), mother of a DS

191. Hazree Zakaria, parent of an ASD child

192. Nor Hazairianty Abdul Razak, parent of an ASD kid

193. Mahanif Mamat, parent of an ASD child

194. Laura Kho Sui San, Mind Brew, Mental Health Association of Sarawak

195. Nur Nadhirah Aqmar Izzar, adult Asperger’s

196. Hamidah Ismail, parent advocate

197. Dr Choy Sook Kuen, parent advocate, founder of Intervention Centre, Kita Family podcaster.

198. Samudiswary Goby, parent of CP child

199. Ramanitharan Annamalay, parent of CP child

200. Lim Seh Cheen, parent

201. Chua Hsiao Shang, parent of an ASD child.

202. Nor Syazwani Aziz, parent of specific learning disorder child

203. Hanifah Halit, parent of ASD son

204. Nurfazila Yanti Fawzi, parent of CP child

205. Melanie Cheong Suet Mei, proud parent of ASD teen

206. Kevin Lim Li, advocate

207. Sandhya N Sathesh, sister of an adult ASD sibling

208. Preetha Pillai, mother of an ASD son

209. Ong Yai Peng, mother of an ASD son

210. Teo Hwee Joo, mother of an ASD & ADHD son

211. Sia Jia Lin, mother of an ASD child

212. Chia Wei How, father of an ASD child

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- Mkini

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.