KOTA SAMARAHAN: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) supports the statement made by Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik regarding the matriculation quota system, specifically on maintaining the current 90:10 ratio for respective Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera students.
Unimas vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi views Sarawak Bumiputeras as ‘still in need of the quota system’.
He points out that the matriculation programme was created two decades ago to increase the number of academically-excellent Bumiputera students, as well as to fill the available vacancies in the fields of science in public universities.
“The programme also aims to produce excellent individuals amongst the Bumiputera students in order to meet the aspiration of the country by 2020,” he said in a press statement issued yesterday.
Mohamad Kadim pointed out that initially, the matriculation programme was only open to Bumiputera students; eventually, a 10-per cent quota was allocated to non-the Bumiputeras in the 2003/2004 session.
“Looking at the importance of and the high demand for matriculation programme, the Education Minister has announced to raise the intake number further by 15,000, for students who sat for their 2018 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.”
In Sarawak context, Mohamad Kadim said any effort to increase the number of intakes as well as to retain the quota system in matriculation colleges should be ‘widely applauded in the era of New Malaysia’.
“This is crucial because the Bumiputera youngsters in Sarawak are being left behind by a long way compared with their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia, even after 56 years.”
Mohamad Kadim stressed that Maszlee’s announcement on the quota system would not only meet the main objective of forming the matriculation programme in the first place, but would also create a huge impact on the development of Bumiputera youths in Sarawak.
“Besides, retaining the Bumiputera quota system is not meant to deny the achievement of excellent students from other races; it is a responsibility of the government to safeguard the rights of the Bumiputera, who are still being left far behind other communities,” he said.