KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 ― Children from the Bottom 40th percentile (B40) households will take up 70 per cent of openings at Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) in 2019, Datuk Seri Rina Harun disclosed today.
The rural and regional development minister said this was in line with her ministry’s objective to aid students and households in the lower income range, and exceeded the target for 65 per cent of new students to come from B40 homes.
“For the 2019 intake, we have 70 per cent from the B40 families, 20 per cent from the M40 (middle 40) and 10 per cent from the T20 (Top 20) families,'' she said to the press after officiating “Segak Ke Sekolah” event, a back-to-school initiative offering free haircuts to students at PPR Jelatek here today.
B40 students will account for 5,400 openings from the overall 7,760 for the Form One intake at all MRSM campuses next year.
Rina added that her ministry will evaluate the students’ scores and “match” it with their family income to decide their eligibility.
However, she also said priority would be given to students from rural areas and those from Sabah and Sarawak.
“This is because we believed if these students were given a more conducive learning environment and a better education system, they could excel,” she said.
Urban families categorised under the M40 group but with many commitments like a large household, will be given a fair evaluation, she said.
The minister also said the government plans to add another 10 MRSM to the current 54 facilities nationwide.
