Education minister Fadhlina Sidek has dismissed suggestions to abolish the matriculation programme, and denied claims that it is inferior to the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination.
Fadhlina said the matriculation programme remained a recognised pre-university pathway, with graduates accepted by both local and international universities.
“The qualification is recognised by 58 foreign institutions, including 26 listed among the world’s top 100 in the world university rankings.
“These include Cambridge University, University College London, the University of Sydney and Kyoto University,” she said in a written parliamentary reply.
Fadhlina said matriculation graduates have also been eligible for Grade 29 executive posts in the civil service since 2017, in line with a 2016 circular.
She said this broad recognition by universities and the public sector reflected the programme’s quality and relevance.
“Therefore, questions on the standard of the matriculation programme do not arise at all,” she added.
The minister was replying to Pang Hok Liong (PH-Labis), who asked if the government was prepared to abolish the programme to address “public suspicions” that it is of a far lower standard than the STPM examination.
