The myth of diversity and inclusivity in Malaysian higher education

Free Malaysia Today

4 days ago

By P Ramasamy
The recent claim by higher education minister Zambry Abd Kadir that Malaysian institutions of higher learning are 'inclusive and diverse' leaves one wondering whether he was referring to an entirely different country.
Even when controversial figures like US president Donald Trump proposed restricting foreign students from studying at institutions like Harvard, those restrictions did not apply to local American students.
In Malaysia, however, the reality is far grimmer: discrimination in higher education is institutionalised and, regrettably, widely accepted as the norm.
Zambry's assertions about inclusivity are nothing short of hypocritical and misleading.
The Malaysian higher education system is deeply racialised, overwhelmingly favouring Malay/Bumiputera students under the guise of affirmative action.
Approximately 81% of admissions to public institutions of higher learning are reserved for Malay/Bumiputera students. This figure alone calls into question any genuine commitment to pluralism or inclusiveness.
Ethnic restrictions also exist in the allocation of academic disciplines, particularly in high-demand fields with better employment prospects.
Many public universities operate with a dominant Malay/Bumiputera student population, leaving limited space for non-Malay students and, ironically, prioritising some foreign students over local non-Malay applicants.
In many cases, non-Malay Malaysians face greater difficulty accessing these institutions than international students.
Unlike the US, where the judiciary often acts as a check on executive overreach, in Malaysia, discrimination is entrenched in both institutional practice and political policy.
The selective application of affirmative action based on race and religion has long excluded non-Malay students – not only from admissions but also from meaningful opportunities within academic institutions.
Poor non-Malay students bear the brunt of this system. While their wealthier peers may pursue private or overseas education, those from less privileged backgrounds are left behind, shut out from the public education system that is supposed to serve all Malaysians equally.
What Zambry – and by extension, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim – appears to be doing is engaging in a duplicitous exercise: presenting a polished narrative to the international community while sustaining a discriminatory reality at home.
Despite rising to power on promises of reform, the Pakatan Harapan-led government has done little to dismantle these entrenched structures.
Diversity in Malaysian higher education is, in truth, an illusion.
From student intake to faculty appointments, from departmental leadership to vice-chancellorships, representation is glaringly uneven.
It is no surprise, then, that an increasing number of Malaysians – especially non-Malays – are seeking education and careers abroad, taking with them the very talent and potential the country so desperately needs.
The government is well aware of these problems. The real question is: who among them will have the courage to address them?
As for Zambry, perhaps the greater shame lies not in what he said, but in what he chose to leave unsaid.
One wonders who wrote his speech – and more importantly, who he thought he was fooling.
P Ramasamy is the Urimai chairman
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.