Higher education minister Zambry Abd Kadir has urged the public not to challenge the existing university entrance exams and system as they have a proven track record of producing excellent students.
Zambry also said the ministry is always seeking ways to improve the Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU) online entrance gateway.
“I urge all parties to stop issuing statements that will only further complicate the situation.
“Instead, let’s work together to strengthen the public’s confidence in our higher education system. We are open to any constructive feedback from every stakeholder,” he said in a video recording today.
His comments come after a students’ group called for the matriculation programme to be replaced by the STPM as the sole standard for admission to degree programmes at public universities.
Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth said the STPM syllabus had proven to be better as it was more challenging and was internationally recognised.
Zambry also said any dissatisfaction with the results of applications for entrance to universities may be appealed through official channels.
“This is a common process, and I urge everyone not to exploit this issue for their own personal or political agenda,” he said.
Recently, the failure of top STPM scorer Edward Wong to gain a place in the accounting programme at Universiti Malaya had gained public attention after MCA president Wee Ka Siong questioned the UPU admission process, describing it as “flawed” and “unfair”.
In response, the higher education department said only 85 places for accountancy were available at UM this year, and that Wong, who achieved a perfect 4.0 CGPA and scored 99.9% for co-curricular activities, was ranked 1,129th among 2,291 eligible applicants.
