Post of Chinese student getting into Harvard after local pre-u course rejection sparks heated online debate

 

IT IS a tale that is oft heard and repeated over the decades.

Education opportunities for non-Bumiputera in in public tertiary institutions are extremely limited even for the bright, capable and worthy.

A post by Yumi (@kaiyumi42) on X (formerly Twitter) highlighting this very issue has sparked a heated debate.

The poster had shared an article from last year on an exemplary student who could not secure a pathway into local public universities but found a route to one of the top universities in the world instead – Harvard!

The post used Ho Shu Xin as a prime example of Malaysians who are unappreciated in their own country but are feted elsewhere.

It argued that despite exemplary academic results, Ho faced a brick wall when applying for entry into local public varsities with her pathway blocked at the matriculation (pre-university) stage.

The young lass from Ipoh was undeterred and found a way to achieve her dreams of tasting university life albeit abroad. But note that she only managed to do so with (government-linked) scholarship opportunities.

Ho was quoted as saying: “This is the educational inequality that I see. May there come a day when all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, gender and race can receive quality education they deserve based on their merits.”

Yumi’s post on this issue has generated 1.1 million views and no small number of comments, reflecting how contentious this matter is.

To highlight that Ho’s case was not an isolated incident, more than one netizen shared their own experiences.

This perceived inequality was a major bone of contention for many netizens.

With one saying such policies are dragging the country down as the bright and talented are welcomed elsewhere with open arms.

But another wished to point out that although she was Bumiputera, her straight-A kids were also similarly rejected. The commenter urged others to stop playing the race card.

With quite a few echoing this sentiment saying there are plenty of Bumiputera students who were similarly rejected.

Some questioned the basis of the story. Was Ho really rejected for the matriculation course because of her race?

One netizen asked why try so hard for public universities here which come under so much fire from non-Bumiputera for lacking in academic quality and standards.

However, a few netizens retorted that Ho managed to do her A-levels and gain entry to the prestigious American university via a Khazanah scholarship. This alone was proof that education opportunities existed for minority ethnic groups in Malaysia.

Another netizen questioned the veracity of the original report, saying that Ho gained entry into Harvard based on her A-levels results. The rejection by local institutions was based on forecast SPM results which is not the same thing.

Of course, bare-faced racism is never far from the surface when such issues are brought up with the “go back to your homeland” brigade quick to present their “opinions”.

It may be an old story and an even older issue but it remains as divisive as ever if the comments on this post are any indicator.

On the one hand, there are those who lament the consequences of affirmative policies that have divided the nation. This demographic will use terms such as “inequality”, “second-class citizens” and even “apartheid” to describe their experiences as Malaysians.

On the other hand, there is the valid viewpoint that plenty of opportunities are available to non-Bumiputera as this very article highlights. Despite being rejected for matriculation, Ho managed to secure a Khazanah scholarship that opened up the pathway to Harvard University.

At a time when brain drain and education opportunities are under the spotlight, meaningful discussion is required to help stem not only the brain drain but also ensure that the deserving and the worthy have access to higher education, regardless of race.

As many netizens pointed out, high scorers from all backgrounds have been similarly rejected. Somethings needs to be done to ensure that such talent does not slip through the net.

Meanwhile, one netizen saw the silver lining in the article, pointing out that Ho would NOT have gained entry to Harvard University if she had been accepted into matriculation as she would have gone on a different pathway. Count your blessings, indeed! 

- Focus Malaysia