PUTRAJAYA, July 28 — Chasing meritocracy should not deprive students from marginalised groups of equal opportunities to succeed, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Anwar said due consideration must also be given to students performing in rural schools despite lacking quality infrastructure or opportunities that their counterparts in urban schools enjoy.
“Recently, we announced that all SPM students who scored 10As, regardless of their race, will be offered a spot in the matriculation programme.
“But, if a student from rural school scores 6As, that to me is equivalent to scoring 10s in an urban school with the best facilities,” Anwar said at the Education Ministry’s monthly assembly today.
“This is what we say justice as fairness. We should not neglect meritocracy for the sake of fairness and we should not punish the poor and marginalised for meritocracy,” he explained.
In April, the Education Ministry announced that all SPM students who scored 10As will automatically get a seat in matriculation programme.
The ministry assured that the new decision will be implemented without compromising or reducing the 90 per cent Bumiputera enrolment quota.
