JULY 19 — The failure of a four straight A’s STPM student to gain access into a local public university only shows either or both of the following:

1. There are problems with the admission system of public universities that even the best -performing students are excluded.

2. There are problems with the STPM examinations that even the top students are not good enough to make it to public universities.

Perhaps the Cabinet could try to get a solution within days, such as by increasing the admission quotas for government universities or provide scholarships for such students to further their studies in local private colleges or foreign universities.

I am no soothsayer but such remedial measures were adopted in the past and will most likely be put into use again this year.

As a matter of fact, these measures hardly resolved the problems of majority of students nor address the problems of the system.

It is like using the plugs to cover up the holes, and indeed we need quite a number of plugs to cover the holes arising from the system. However, the number of plugs available often fall short of the number of holes present.

And with the passing years, more and more holes are appearing and we will never have enough plugs to cover them up.

The biggest problem of the admission system is the quota, which is very much evident in public universities. But weirdly, the ratio always fluctuates without a standard yardstick.

We used to have some kind of compromise for 55 per cent of bumi students versus 45 per cent of non-bumis, but this is definitely not the best solution, nor is it compliant wit the principle of meritocracy. But since it has been achieved through compromise, it has to be accepted as fait accompli.

If 45 per cent of the places in public universities are reserved for non-bumis, then Chinese should get at least 35 per cent. To the puzzle of many, only 20 per cent of Chinese students have been admitted this year.

The first thing the PM and education ministers should do is to get the UPU and chancellors of government universities to provide the relevant figures and the root of problem.

New public universities are being established in recent years and there is no way for the education ministry to tell us that the available places are not increased, and non-bumis need to compromise and seek their places in private institutions.

Unfortunately not everyone can afford the tuition fees charged by private institutions of higher learning. Moreover, Malaysians should have the to choose whether they want to study in a public or a private university.

Meanwhile, there are obvious problems with the STPM-Matriculation dual track system.

Sure enough the government can implement the dual track system, but when the train approaches the station,

Over the years, the STPM has failed to assure the students of their chances to get admitted into public universities, much to the frustration of the students and their parents alike while marring the significance of this examination.

If we were to talk about quality education and appreciate our young talented people, it is imperative that we look into this issue with some seriousness. We cannot afford to allow such incidents to take place year after year, and then look for some more plugs to cover up the holes.

Otherwise, Malaysians will lose their faith in the system and the system will slowly into the integrity of this country, from education, to competitiveness and national unity. — MySinchew.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.