LAUGHING STOCK MASZLEE ISSUES ANOTHER ‘COMICAL’ STATEMENT: ENTRANCE INTO PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES BASED ON ‘MERITOCRACY’, SAYS EDUCATION MINISTRY AS PETITIONS FOR HIS SACKING SWIRL

PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry said it practises meritocracy in student intake and eligible candidates with the highest merit marks are given the opportunity to pursue their studies in public universities.

It said entry to a public university depends on merit marks and the applicants’ qualification, and not on the candidates’ category.

“The increase of 15,000 places for the matriculation programme, which was decided by the Cabinet, would not affect the overall student selection process,” the Ministry said in a statement today.

“The number of places available at universities will depend on the university’s infrastructure and capacity.”

It said candidates who are qualified and meet the general terms of the degree programme and the selection criteria will be considered based on the degree they applied to study.

The process of selecting students depends on the merit score of 90% of the academic and 10% co-curriculum score. It added that academic scores for both Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) and matriculation are based on the Grade Point Average obtained by the candidate applying for a degree programme.

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik had announced on April 25 that number of places for students enrolling for the matriculation programme has been increased to 40,000 from 25,000.

He said this decision is the best way to ensure that the matriculation programme can provide education opportunities to all races.

Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has come to the defence of Mazlee for comparing the quota system for the intake of matriculation students with the need for Mandarin mastery when applying for certain jobs in the private sector.

Its vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr. Asma Ismail said certain quarters should not look at the remarks by Mazlee through a racial lens, but more on the realities on the ground.

“There are imbalances in the employment opportunities in a diverse country such as Malaysia. They represent the realities of now,“ Asma said.

The statement came after an online signature campaign which was launched to seek for the resignation of Mazlee.

THE SUN DAILY