Letter to editor
AFTER listening to a fuller version of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s (PMX) explanation about affirmative action and meritocracy, this writer is more likely to agree with what he has to say.
The problem is that we have misunderstood each other’s explanation of the two concepts: “meritocracy” and “affirmative action”.
When affirmative action is implemented at the expense of those of other races who make the grades – but denied a place in the university – it appears that the system of meritocracy is thrown out of the window. This is where the misunderstanding lies.
Meritocracy & quota working hand-in-hand
To begin with, this writer maintains that meritocracy is key to any university ranking. For this reason, we cannot afford to lower the entry requirements just for the sake of filling the quota.
Quota is necessary, so is meritocracy. Since medical degree from Monash School of Medicine is in great demand, the university implements a quota for international students.
Out of 30 international students who meet the entry requirements, only 20 most brilliant students would be selected due to limited places.
Here, meritocracy and quota work hand-in-hand to ensure that only the best and qualified ones are given a place in the university. The PMX has emphasised this.
What most people are against is when race-based quota takes the precedence over the entry requirements. But the PMX is correct to say that someone in a rural school may be less privileged compared to his counterpart attending an urban school.
Hence, a multi-tier quota system may be necessary for the selection process. Some private universities have a quota where children from orphanages are taken into a programme based on their background. However, this is not the broad policy the university adopts.
What the PMX may not realise is that not everyone is academically inclined. Some are better off when they join skills-based vocational training centres. For this reason, pushing them through the degree mill is like placing a square peg into a round hole.
And, when they enter into the university at the expense of the more brilliant non-Malay students, here lies the dissatisfaction expressed.
Striking the balance
Perhaps, this is also one reason why some of our local universities have fallen below other regional universities in ranking.
Although originally two branches of the same university, National University of Singapore (NUS) today ranks #26 in the Best Global Universities while Universiti Malaya is ranked #226.
NUS’ ranking cannot be disputed as other international bodies such as QS and THE-QS World Rankings have rated it highly.
While the quota system may be a quick fix solution, its implementation should not compromise on the entry requirements. The selection process must still be based on meritocracy, yet meeting the quota set aside for the Bumiputra students.
To solve this perennial problem, this writer recommends to the PMX and his cabinet to look at:
- A multi-tier quota system to ensure that meritocracy is not disregarded in the process of filling the quota.
- Allow the first level of processing to pick all the most qualified students based on results rather than races. From this pool of students, then select the best students based on the quota.
- Students from rural communities should be picked based on a separate sub-quota.
- Positions in vocational training institutes should form part of the quota. More of these should be built to cater to students who are more practical than intellectually inclined.
- More of these vocational institutes should be built and eventually upgrading them to university levels similar to what happened in Singapore and Australia.
The selection process will need to be refined to ensure that quotas are met, yet without compromising the quality of students recruited. – Aug 14, 2023
Stephen Ng
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main pic credit: UiTM News Hub
