1500 PELAJAR HILANG TEMPAT

Angkatan Pemuda Parti Rakyat Malaysia (APPRM) is sad to hear that 1,500 students had lost their place in the matriculation programme they were undergoing. We hope that this setback would not break their spirits and they would continue to strive in search of knowledge and education.

The fate of the 1,500 students, making up more than 10 % of the total intake of 12,000 chosen to enroll in the matriculation programme leaves much to be desired in the Education Ministry’s policy and decision making process. After laying down red carpet for these students leading to the ivory tower, they found the carpet pulled under their feet.

The method of selecting students based on forecast results should not be implemented, as it is open to inconsistencies based on individuals. It is not the first time that the ministry had caused distress to students. In recent years there has been many instances where students have had to bear the brunt of the ministry’s idiocy.

In the previous years, problems related to the intakes for matriculation and degree courses were many. There were complaints from the lack of application forms to chaotic manner of informing applicants of the results of their application.

The decision to franchise the matriculation programme to private colleges ended in total collapse. Not only the students were burdened with astronomical fees. Some as high as 6 times more then previously charged by the universities. The facilities and lecturers provided were horrendous leading to extremely high failure rates. Needless to say the policy was thus reversed. This year the guinea pigs are going through a new experiment under the Education Ministry’s matriculation programme.

Corporatisation of the universities has lead to increasing post-graduate fees. Fees of RM 600 have been raised to between RM5000 to RM8000 per annum. At the same time, highly qualified and respected lecturers were retired at 55 years of age, at the prime of their academic lives in favour of younger, cheaper alternatives. Education is the social responsibility of the government and should not be submitted to such drastic cost cutting measures.

Youths consulted at the National K-economy Conference organised by ISIS agreed that in order to achieve success in implementing the k-economy policy, currently being drawn out, the government need to review and implement a progressive education policy. Education policy of the nation should not be used to score political points or changed according to the whim and fancies of the Minister in charge. If the Education Ministry does not clean up its act, it is the whole country that is going to be paying the price.

Muhammad Ali
Student Bureau
Angkatan Pemuda PRM

20 April 2000