THE chairman of the MCA Youth Education Consultative Committee, Ong Chee Siang, said the party has received numerous complaints from parents.
It was regarding their children’s failure to secure a place in public universities, including those who had obtained a perfect cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.0.
He said this had happened despite the Higher Education Ministry announcing that 78,883 students had been offered places at public universities.
“It would be better if the ministry could clarify how many places were filled through the paid open channel, how many via the public university admissions system, and in particular how many were allocated to Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM) leavers,” he said, according to news media Malaysiakini in an online post.
Netizen @tonychia49448 added in the comment section that this is no longer news as it is an issue since many years back. “This is why many decided to go overseas to study, especially Singapore,” he said.
His opinion was echoed by @mengkudu_masam who said many of his friends couldn’t enter public universities to become a medic due to the stiff competition.
“Some gave up and decided to take a course that was not their choice. A lot gambled and went to India or Indonesia to pursue their ambition as a doctor,” he added.
A good number of netizens also pointed out that there are a huge number of 4.0 CGPA students too.
“If you apply for a competitive course it is definitely hard to get a place. Try applying for a course in plantation, you are confirmed to get it,” said @lastmeleis.
Then there was @AwatifWardina with the picture comment, clarifying that marks matter too:
To recap, last month, MCA president Wee Ka Siong urged the government to establish a royal commission of inquiry to assess the transparency of student admissions to public universities.
One of the issues he raised was the increasing intake of international students at public universities, which has been speculated to be due to the higher tuition fees they pay.
Shortly after, MCA vice-president Tan Teik Cheng called on Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir to disclose detailed data on public university admissions.
Tan also warned that the intake of international students must not undermine the opportunities available to local students. —Sept 8, 2025
Main image: The Star
