KUALA LUMPUR: Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik today stressed that the additional 15,000 seats for the Education Ministry’s matriculation programme will not affect the intake of the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) holders to first degree programmes at public universities.
He said there were places available at public universities every year, including about 5,000 seats in science.
“The additional 15,000 seats via the matriculation programme will not affect the chances of STPM holders as there are about 40,000 available seats offered,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said this in his reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Dr Santhara Kumar (PH-Segamat) who wanted to know the issue concerning STPM students facing difficulties of getting placements at public universities due to the increase in number of matriculation students.
Maszlee said admission to public universities not only via STPM and matriculation programme as there were other routes including the universities’ very own diploma and foundation programmes.
In April, the Cabinet decided to increase the ministry’s matriculation programme student intake from 25,000 to 40,000 and the quota for 90 per cent Bumiputera and 10 per cent non-Bumiputera students were maintained.
Responding to the original question of priorities between STPM holders and matriculation programme students for admission at public universities, Maszlee said the ministry practiced meritocracy in students’ admission system since the 2002/2003 session, regardless of categories, which is 90 per cent on academic performance and 10 per cent on co-curricular achievements. – Bernama
