Low household income prevents SPM graduates from furthering studies, says economist

 

Deputy finance minister Ahmad Maslan recently revealed that only 40% of SPM graduates went on to enroll in higher education institutions. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Low household income and poor job creation efforts on the government’s part are among the reasons only 40% of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) graduates pursue tertiary education, according to an economist.

Geoffrey Williams of the Malaysia University of Science and Technology said SPM graduates from poorer backgrounds are forced to work to support their families, keeping them from studying.

Williams said flaws in the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), launched in 2010 with the goal of creating three million jobs, resulted in two-thirds of the job opportunities not requiring qualifications other than SPM.

“The government policy (ETP) was to create low quality, poorly paid and under-skilled jobs, and it is one of the only areas where the government has actually been very successful: delivering a low wage economy,” he told FMT.

A week ago, deputy finance minister Ahmad Maslan revealed that only 40% of some 500,000 annual SPM graduates every year went on to pursue higher education, with the majority finding work in the manufacturing, delivery and e-hailing sectors.

Williams said despite appearing low, the 40% figure still trumped equivalents in more developed countries such as Italy (28.3%) and Germany (36%).

“We should not be too alarmed. Even if one does not go directly from school to college, there are plenty of opportunities to return to college when one gets older,” said Williams.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an average of 46% of adults between 25 and 34 years old have a tertiary education.

The ETP, launched by then prime minister Najib Razak, saw the government set an objective of creating 3.3 million new jobs, with 11% intended to be high earning.

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Belia Mahir secretary-general Rizan Hassan said higher education institutions were unappealing to many new SPM graduates.

This was because “(their) environment is not conducive to learning, the laboratory and workshop facilities are not up-to-date and the teaching staff is not very competent,” said the NGO leader whose group focuses on youth development.

Rizan said higher education institutions have also failed to adapt to the demands of younger people, by failing to incorporate better work-life balance in current academic practices. - FMT