Retain matriculation quota for Indian students

A coalition of Indian NGOs led by Agamam Ani Malaysia urged the government to retain matriculation quota for Indian students.

“Prime Minister’s (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) announcement that all students achieving 10’A’s in SPM will be prioritized for matriculation regardless of race is a very good decision.

“However, does this decision benefit Indian students? Certainly not.

“We want the government to maintain the quota of 2,500 places for Indian students as previously practised,” said coalition representative Arun Doraisamy at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said that the number of Indian student admissions to matriculation was 2,162 in 2017. Meanwhile, last year, it dropped by 48 per cent to only 1,116 students.

“We need to understand that the number of Indian students who achieved 10’A’s in the SPM examination this year is less than 1,000.

“Therefore, it is certain that the intake of Indian students will decrease further this year compared to last year,” he said.

“So, we support the government in maintaining the merit system (automatic entry for SPM graduates with 10’A’s in SPM), but the government also needs affirmative plans (retain the quota system) for Indian students who are increasingly fewer in matriculation studies,” he said.

He said for now out of 40,000 matriculation places, 90 per cent are allocated for Bumiputera, 5.5 per cent or 2,200 places for Chinese students, while Indian students are only given 3.5 per cent or 1,400 places.

Arun added that the quota system remains relevant, especially for Indian students, because the average graduation rate for Indian students is only 9 per cent, which is still lower compared to the national average of 12 per cent.

On June 30, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that students who achieve 10 ‘A’s or more in SPM will be guaranteed entry into the matriculation program, regardless of their race or background.