Latest news with #Umany
The Star
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
‘Open entry will hurt deserving students from poor families'
ALOR SETAR: The increasing reliance on direct or open entry routes into public universities will shortchange high-achievers from low and middle-income families aiming for critical fields like medicine, engineering and law, says Kedah Higher Education committee chairman Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah. 'It's disheartening when a student from a poor family, who scored straight A's, may not get into a public medical programme due to limited slots, while someone with lower results can enter through the open route if they can afford it,' said Haim Hilman, who is also a former Universiti Utara Malaysia vice-chancellor. He said the pressure intensifies when these students are not offered places through the UPUOnline system and are instead pushed towards courses or programmes that are not in demand. The scenario could also affect those from middle-income parents whose children have excellent academic results but were denied placings due to their lack of finances, he said. He urged the government to re-evaluate education policies to prevent jeopardising the future of high-achieving students, particularly those from B40 and M40 families. Haim Hilman also advocated for Malaysian universities, especially those with five-star Malaysian Research Assessment (MyRA) ratings, to commercialise their research to reduce reliance on traditional funding. He noted that research findings with commercial potential are often underutilised and suggested that universities operate like government-linked companies to monetise innovations. On a related matter, two student leaders have voiced concerns over the increasing use of open entry routes to public universities, claiming that it significantly impacts applications made through the usual UPUOnline system. Universiti Malaya Student Union (UMSU) secretariat Lee Yu Dong, a law undergraduate, said UM should focus on increasing the UPUOnline system quota rather than expanding the direct intake channel. Lee said that public universities should not operate like commercial entities by imposing high increases in tuition fees for students who enrolled through direct channels. Lee also backed a call by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong that the 2025/2026 MBBS intake through Satu be suspended immediately and that the government should set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to review the public university admission systems. 'Direct intake should be a last resort for students to enter sought-after courses like medicine, law and pharmacy, based on academic merit, not financial means,' said Lee, who is also the general secretary of UM Association of New Youth (Umany). Citing Umany statistics, Lee said 35% of direct intake students are from B40 families. 'Public universities should prioritise the welfare of students. Ignoring this risks exacerbating brain drain, delaying Malaysia's development goals, and diminishing hope for a brighter future,' he added. Ong Jelyn, a UMSU representative and third-year medical student, said while admissions flexibility might diversify student backgrounds, it risks sidelining those who applied through the rigorous UPUOnline system. She said the 67% fee increase in direct admissions is unjustifiable, especially if it is done without transparency and providing better student support as this would severely affect B40 and M40 families. Ong said that high fees would limit social mobility, jeopardising public universities' role in providing a chance for underprivileged communities. 'Scholarships and financial protections must precede any fee restructuring,' she said, reiterating that education is a right, not a commodity.
Free Malaysia Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
UM students' group criticises govt for matriculation admission ‘flip-flop'
Umany president Lim Jing Jet reminded the education ministry of its previous '10As policy' in which all non-Bumiputera students who achieved 10As in the SPM exam would be eligible for admission into the matriculation programme. PETALING JAYA : A students' group at Universiti Malaya has criticised the government for its 'policy flip-flop' on the eligibility of non-Bumiputera Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia holders for admission into the matriculation programme. University Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) president Lim Jing Jet questioned an education ministry circular issued on April 30 declaring that A- will no longer be recognised as Grade A. The circular states that Grade A refers to A and A+ grades, including four subjects graded with merit. In a statement, Lim contrasted this with the government's introduction last year of the '10As policy' and its promise that all non-Bumiputera students who achieved 10As in the SPM examination would be eligible for admission into the matriculation programme. 'Under the 10As policy, a student with 9A+ and 1B is considered less qualified than a student with 10A-, which is clearly unreasonable and unfair. 'Yet, at the time, the education ministry ignored public concerns and proceeded unilaterally. 'This recent 'shrinking' of the policy is nothing more than an attempt by the government to limit the number of eligible applicants and cover up the deeper structural contradictions in the system,' he said. On June 30 last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said all students who score 10As and above in the SPM examination, regardless of race or background, will be guaranteed a spot in matriculation colleges starting with the 2025 intake. 'This decision ensures that all top SPM students have the best opportunities to pursue higher education,' he said. Lim said Umany criticised the government for using the 10As policy to 'pacify non-Bumiputera voters' while refusing to address the root issue of racial quotas in university admissions. 'The matriculation programme's long-standing 90:10 ethnic quota significantly limits non-Bumiputera students' access to higher education and weakens the nation's overall talent competitiveness. 'If the education ministry genuinely seeks a fair and transparent higher education system, it must abolish the racial quota system and establish a unified university admission mechanism – only then can the root of the problem be addressed. 'We reiterate, no matter how it is adjusted, the 10As policy merely treats the symptoms, not the cause,' he said.
