Kudos to Sarawak on meritocracy in varsity entry

 

On June 30, Sarawak’s deputy minister for education, innovation and talent development Dr Annuar Rapaee said Sarawak was the envy of all Malaysians.

Noting that “envy” and “jealousy” could have both positive and negative connotations, he said when people were envious of someone, it meant that person’s status or level had risen.

Annuar was quoted by the media as saying: “This means that we in Sarawak are regarded highly by all Malaysians, whether in terms of education or the economy.”

Certainly Malaysians, especially those living in the peninsula, will be even more envious – in a positive, longing way – of Sarawak following his recent statements that admission into the five state-owned universities in Sarawak would be based solely on meritocracy.

This, Annuar said, was to pick the best of the best.

The five universities are Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), i-CATS University College, and Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak.

I saw a video clip of Annuar – uploaded onto his social media account on Oct 28 – giving a speech at a function where he said imposing race-based quotas for enrolment in universities was not the way to nurture talent.

Taking UTS as an example, he said: “I can tell you… this university… We don’t have quota (for) how many Chinese must go in, how many Bumiputera must go in.

“We do not think that it is the way forward for talent to be developed in the country. We want to give fair, equal opportunities to each and every Sarawakian.”

Speaking at the Sarawak Career and Training Fair 2024 on Nov 2, Annuar touched on this again, saying: “Students need to know that enrolment at these universities is no longer based on a quota system. In other words, it’s based on meritocracy.”

Under this system of meritocracy, he noted, students would have to compete for places.

Why is Sarawak doing this? Annuar said meritocracy was the “only way to train talents and pick the best of the best from among our students” for Sarawak to become a developed state.

You cannot fault the logic behind this.

Common sense will tell us that for any state or nation to progress, it must ensure equal opportunities in education for all its citizens so that the best talents will enter its tertiary institutions and graduate to lead the state or nation to greater growth and prosperity.

One may object to this move, saying students from poorer backgrounds will be disadvantaged if race-based quotas are removed.

The Sarawak government has an answer for this.

Annuar said the Sarawak government was upgrading educational facilities and allocating RM15 million annually to provide free tuition for Form 3 and Form 5 students to ensure that rural students could gain admission to these institutions.

It’s a simple equation, really. If you want the best people in leadership positions – whether in politics, the economy or society – you must select the best for university enrolment or any position.

And to ensure those from poor backgrounds or rural areas get an equal chance at making it, you give them additional facilities, coaching or training.

Sarawak understands this.

It is not surprising, therefore, to hear thought leaders congratulating the Sarawak government. One of the first to do so was former law minister Zaid Ibrahim who said Sarawak’s decision to remove the race-based university admissions quota should be emulated by other states.

Zaid called for a shift towards a fair, merit-based system in education that would foster pride in individual achievement.

He said it was important for students to be aware that they must study hard to be admitted to the universities.

“Why should they work hard if they know they can be enrolled with lower grades?” he asked before adding: “The government’s job is to assure all Malaysians that they have a promising future if they work hard.”

I’m sure readers of this column will agree. That’s not all that Sarawak is doing to improve education and raise educated residents.

Annuar said premier Abang Johari Openg had agreed that Sarawak would offer free tertiary education for all courses related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) from 2026.

This, I’m sure, will give even the financially poor an opportunity to graduate from one of the STEM disciplines. Lack of money will not – and it should not – prevent any capable student from entering tertiary institutions.

On July 8, Annuar invited Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia students – including from the peninsula – who had scored at least 10As and whose application to enter matriculation or public university foundation programmes had been rejected to enrol in UTS.

The university, by the way, has been named the best university in technical and vocational education training in Malaysia by the federal ministry of higher education.

Last Dec 29, the media reported Annuar as saying Sarawak was the only state government which prioritised policies for students of independent Chinese secondary schools (ICSS).

Annuar said this was because the state government wanted them to also contribute to Sarawak’s growth.

“Students at this ICSS pay their own fees, and all education is conducted in the Chinese language. We have no concerns about their origin. As long as they are Sarawakians and can contribute to the future development of Sarawak, they are valuable citizens.”

The trained cardiologist with a degree in law from the United Kingdom added: “We do not view them as stepchildren because they are also ‘anak Sarawak’.”

It’s certainly a sensible and forward-looking stand.

I have to applaud the Sarawak government under Abang Johari for showing – again and again – that it seriously wants to progress and that it wants what’s best for all its people. Syabas! - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.