Makkal Osai quoted Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator T. Murugiah as saying that the enrolment of Indians in public institutions of higher learning was low because of the merit system.
A nationwide survey at such institutions showed Indians made up only 5% of the total number of students at each intake. He said the racial gap would be higher in another five years if nothing was done to rectify it.
Does it mean the quality of education of Indians students is low? Probably it is. I guess there’s a widening gap between the top achievers and the mediocre/weak students.
How meritous is the meritocracy system? Do we have an independent audit in place to verify selection of students? What is the impact of having dual entrance system – matriculation and STPM on the intake?
I also noticed that something’s wrong in the requirements for diploma/degree programs in local universities. For example, when the requirement is 3 or 5 credits, in certain cases, subjects like Pendidikan Islam and its ilk are considered, but not Moral Education. So, what is the purpose of studying Moral and making it compulsory when it does not help in getting a place in the university? The non-muslim students might as well take Islamic subjects and use it to fulfill entrance requirements. I only realised this when helping my niece to do the online application at UPU website. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to do a properly analysis of all the courses.
Secondly, universities like USIM and others offer courses related to Islamic studies which is not accessible for 40% of the SPM leavers. We also have UITM which is mainly for certain race only. There’s also certain foundation (Asasi) program reserved for certain category of people.