Dapsy Sarawak calls for holistic selection to give more students access to matriculation

Borneo Post

16-05-2025

Peter Hee
MIRI (May 16): The Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (Dapsy) Sarawak has called on the Ministry of Education (MoE) to implement a more balanced and transparent policy to ensure fairer access to matriculation at Malaysian public universities.
Dapsy Sarawak leader Peter Hee urged the ministry to adopt a more inclusive and accountable approach to reflect the diverse realities faced by Malaysian students.
'We commend any initiative that acknowledges the struggles and achievements of students from underserved and rural communities. Many of these students have worked incredibly hard in challenging environments and deserve a fair chance at further education,' he said in a statement.
He was commenting on Senator C Sivaraj's proposal to recognise students with A- grades or 9A's in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) for matriculation entry.
Dapsy Sarawak proposed there should be contextual merit recognition, holistic selection, and transparency in policy implementation.
He explained that the holistic selection framework should incorporate a broader evaluation model that considers co-curricular involvement, socioeconomic background, and school infrastructure alongside academic performance.
'It should recognise students' academic achievements within the context of their environment, particularly those from rural or under-resourced schools,' he said.
Dapsy Sarawak, he said, fully supports transparency to ensure that any updated entry requirements are clearly communicated and consistently applied, to prevent confusion or perceived bias.
'We are ready to engage with the Ministry of Education, youth leaders, and student groups to help shape policies that uphold both fairness and excellence,' he added.
Sivaraj had called on MoE to revise its current policy which he said risked sidelining high-achieving non-Bumiputera SPM students as the automatic rejection of A- appeared to negate the value of the hard work of high-achieving students.
Under the current policy, only students who score a minimum of 10A+s or A's are eligible for automatic admission to the matriculation programme.
This excludes those who achieve 10A's as even one A-, or those with 9A's would not be considered 'excellent'. C. Sivaraj lead matriculation MOE Peter Hee