High achievers deserve an answer

The Star

10 hours ago

PETALING JAYA: As the deadline for matriculation intake appeals approaches on June 21, concerns are rising over the future of 260 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) high-achievers who have not secured a place in the programme.
The Education Ministry plans to announce appeal results by June 30, but MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong cautioned this may be too late for many students who fear they will be unable to catch up after missing the first two weeks of classes.
'The new intake for matriculation begins next week. I sincerely hope the 260 students who appealed through the MCA Youth Education Bureau will have their appeals approved by the end of this month,' Dr Wee wrote in a Facebook post.
'Otherwise, if they only get in after two weeks of classes, it may be too late – many past appellants have had to give up their spot out of fear they couldn't catch up.'
Dr Wee questioned how long DAP ministers would remain silent, urging them to act immediately to resolve the issue.
'Please speak up. This is about fairness and opportunity for our best students,' he said.
In April, the Education Ministry said that an A- was not considered an A in the eligibility criteria for pre-university matriculation courses, a move that has been widely criticised by students and parents.
By June 16, the MCA Youth Education Consul­tation Commit­tee had received 260 appeals from students with 10As or more, 255 of whom had at least one A-, Dr Wee said.
'These students should have been automatically admitted into matriculation, but due to the policy change – announced on April 30 after the SPM results – their applications were rejected,' he said.
Many of these students who came to the MCA also received an A- in the Chinese language, rai­sing concerns about the new grading policy's disproportionate impact on those taking Chinese, he added.
Among the 255 affected students, 173 received an A- in Chinese, and 60 had otherwise achieved straight A+ or A grades, except for a single A- in Chinese.
He stressed that denying these students access to pre-university programmes could deter future candidates from taking Chinese in the SPM, negatively impacting Chinese education development.
'Students with an A- in Chinese are being unfairly treated under this sudden policy change. This affects over two-thirds (68%) of students with 10A grades. Is this fair?' he added.
Two students who scored straight A+ in all nine subjects also did not get a place, he said.
Dr Wee highlighted that on June 30 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said that SPM candidates with 10As would automatically be admitted to the matriculation programme, including those with A- grades, as they were traditionally considered part of the 'A' grade category.
Dr Wee cautioned that if the Cabinet does not review the exclusion of A- grades from the 'A' category before the end of June, it could have lasting consequences for these students' futures.
'We must act now. Once July begins and classes have started, it's too late,' he said.