UM’s ‘direct intake’ stirs concern on entry fairness

The UM Association of New Youth says the system poses a 'worrying situation' on the privatisation of public universities.

PETALING JAYA: The Universiti Malaya Centre of Continuing Education’s (UMCCED) move to create a direct intake for the university’s programmes has been criticised amid fears that those who have the financial muscle will bypass the normal application process for public universities.

The UM Association of New Youth (Umany) today said the introduction of the new system appeared to be a repercussion of high budget cuts and warned that it would have “far-reaching consequences”.

Its president Kon Hua En said students with the financial capabilities can enrol directly into the programmes, while those from lower income families will not have the opportunity if they fail in the higher education ministry’s centralised university unit (UPU) selection process for government tertiary institutions.

“Umany deems that the Barisan Nasional government has disregarded the principle of equality for all in providing education regardless of economic capabilities and other discriminations,” he said in a statement.

He said Umany had found the direct intake system, which enables students to take up engineering courses by paying actual tuition fees unsubsidised by the government, on UMCCED’s website.

He said tuition fees for the programmes through this process are as high as RM90,000.

Kon asked if the system had come about because the government’s move to slash the budget for public universities had forced the institutions to generate income through tuition fees.

He said although UM is the most prominent and highest ranking university in Malaysia, its budget was reduced by 58.7%, from RM630 million in 2015 to RM370 million in 2017.

“The answer given by the higher education ministry was that the budget cut is to encourage the university to gain financial autonomy and to diversify its income so that it can lessen its over-dependence on government funding,” Kon said.

He added that the new intake system posed a “worrying situation” related to possible privatisation of public universities.

He said student intake should always be based on meritocracy to allow qualified students, regardless of race, ethnicity, status and economic capability, to be enrolled.

However, the direct intake provides an “extra threshold” for students with better financial capabilities to avoid the need to undergo intense competition with other student applicants through the UPU system, he added

“This reveals an unfair stream of intake and encourages discrimination whereby the university has a double standard of the intake system,” Kon said.

“Over time, the university might become an institution that prioritises ‘money’ just like the other private universities and neglect the importance of meritocracy.”

Kon called on the government and UM to provide an explanation on the matter.

He also urged the government to increase funding for higher education while prioritising properly so that the purpose of education will not be “sacrificed” through the gradual privatisation of public universities. -FMT