Education Ministry must be transparent and accountable in Matriculation intake

Speech by M. Kula Segaran MP, DAP National Vice Chairman and MP for Ipoh Barat at Tamil Ceramah held in Paloh, Johore on June 29, 2014

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Education Ministry must be transparent and accountable in Matriculation intake

The Education Ministry has announced that only 1148 Indian students were taken into Matriculation studies for this year. For the year 2012,  it was about 800 plus and 2013,  it was also 800 plus.

Matriculation is a one year programme while STPM is a two year course. Matriculation is fully funded and exams are conducted and examined internally. It is a known fact that it is easier to excel in matriculation examination compared to the STPM exams which are externally examined.

Initially, matriculation programme was exclusively only for the Bumiputeras in Malaysia. Just a few years ago, 10 % of the intake was opened to the non Malays.

On February 26 2012, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that the intake of Indian students at Matriculation colleges would be incrased from 559 to more than 1,500 for the 2012/2013 academic term.  Undoubtedly, this announcement done before the 2013 General Elections was to fish for Indian votes!

To obtain further Indians’ support, the Prime Minister also signed a MOU with HINDRAF specifying that the yearly intake for the Indian community was to be 2200. Thus, every year 2200 students should have been enrolled into matriculation.

Last year, I had posed a question to the Deputy Prime Minister in Parliament asking him to reveal the actual intake of Indian students into the Matriculation colleges in the country.

I was shocked and dumbfounded when Tan Sri Muhyiddin stated that the intake was 1800. He further said that the qualification to enter Matriculation College had been reduced.

If the entry requirement was reduced,  then why so many eligible and qualified Indian students have  failed to secure a place in matriculation?

Education Ministry must disclose the details of those who had been admitted to further their matriculation studies. The reluctance and failure to disclose the names of successful students further strengthens our doubt about the claim that a total of 1800 students were accepted.

To dispel all doubt, the Education Ministry must be prepared to be transparent and accountable on the issue of Matriculation intake.

We have been demanding that all successful students’ names and their Form 5 results d be posted on the Ministry’s website. But the Ministry has refused to do so. Why fear if there is nothing to hide?

Malaysia has achieved Merdeka for decades and the Prime Minister has talked so much about his I Malaysia concept. It is time that matriculation intake should be based on meritocracy and opened to all races

All citizens should enjoy equal places under the Malaysian sun. Failure to address the short comings in government policies will further cause brain drain in our country.