KUCHING, Sept 29: The issue of a Malaysian student who scored a CGPA of 3.95 who was rejected by local universities but got accepted by a foreign university is greatly troubling and warrants immediate attention by the relevant authorities.
This is because Malaysia cannot afford to lose high achievers to other nations due to some faults in public universities’ admission system, said Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) Young Women’s Wing chief Muniraa Abu Bakar, who has called for more transparency in all Central University Admission Unit (UPU) applications so students are informed why they were unsuccessful in securing a place.
“The rejection of these high scorers with no specified reason is highly demoralising and also contributes greatly to the brain drain in the country.
“It is ironic how applications from high scorers are rejected by local public universities, but readily accepted by foreign universities,” she said in a statement today.
She was referring to a case that went viral on social media recently, where a Mechanical Engineering Diploma holder from Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Polytechnic, Kuantan, Pahang, managed to get a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.95, but failed to get a place to continue his degree at a reputable local university.
However, his application on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) portal showed offers from two universities in the United Kingdom for three courses.
Muniraa pointed out that over the years, reports showed that there were over two million Malaysians living and working abroad, many of whom are professionals.
“PBM believes one reason for this is because many students were unable to secure places in local public universities, forcing them to pursue their education overseas.
“Once there, many were likely offered jobs upon completing their studies and have since continued living there,” she said.
However, Muniraa raised that only students with strong financial backgrounds are fortunate enough to be able to pursue their studies abroad or at local private universities.
“What happens to students who do not have the means but have excellent scores and have been rejected by local public universities?
“These students find themselves being forced into employment after being left with no other choice,” she added.
PBM urged those concerned to immediately look into this and come up with a workable solution before more local talents go to waste. — DayakDaily
