East Malaysian students from B40 families face an uphill battle to get into top university courses, a government MP said today.
Sim Tze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru) highlighted the big gap between the two main pre-university paths in Malaysia – Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) and the matriculation programme.
“If the students choose STPM, it is ‘mission impossible’ to get into a good university.
“This is because they basically have less than 3% chance to get into medicine, pharmacy or dentistry,” he said when debating the 13th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat.
Sim cited data showing very few STPM students from Sabah and Sarawak being admitted into medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and law courses. In 2023, only 2.39% of medical students admitted came from STPM, with most coming from matriculation.
He said nearly 72% of STPM students were from B40 families.
“We want social mobility. But they are stuck in STPM. They can’t move. This is an issue of justice because B40 students from Sabah and Sarawak are dependent on STPM to achieve social mobilisation and higher education,” he said.
Sim also pointed out that matriculation took nine months to complete while STPM required 18 months, giving matriculation students a quicker path to university.
He urged the government to treat STPM students more fairly in university admissions.
“STPM is now the second or last choice for our children. It should be given a higher weightage for entrance into university,” he said.
He also called for the creation of a task force to “save STPM” and ensure a fairer system for all students.
Last month, education minister Fadhlina Sidek dismissed calls to abolish the matriculation programme.
She denied claims that it was inferior to the STPM examination and said matriculation remained a recognised pre-university pathway accepted by both local and international universities.
