00:00It's heartening to note that public universities are seen as being selective in their student admissions
00:06by favouring those from high-income families, raising questions about the fairness of meritocracy in the selection process.
00:16There are two key issues I would like to raise here.
00:19First is on the student admission process.
00:22Second is on the tuition fees.
00:25I go to the first one, student admission process.
00:28It is well known that STPM graduates have two options for entering UM through the Unit Pusat Universiti UPU
00:37or via the UM Direct Open Channel which is called Saluran Terbuka Universiti Melayu or SATU 1.
00:47I share the concern voiced by a former University Utara Malaysia Vice Chancellor,
00:52Professor Dr. Haim Hilman Abdullah, who in December 2024, now he is the ex-co member in charge of education in Kedak,
01:05expressed serious concern over the admission process for public universities in Malaysia.
01:10He also alleged that the open channel pathway for university admissions may contribute to systemic inequality
01:17and disadvantaged students from underprivileged backgrounds.
01:22So, in response, in response to the allegation,
01:26the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Rectors of Public Universities,
01:30Chairman, Professor, Dr. Mohamed Ekwan Toriman,
01:34issued a formal rebuttal and reaffirmed that public university admissions decisions
01:40are based on a combination of academic merit, co-curricular achievement,
01:47socio-economic background, and standardized screening processes aligned with the policies
01:53under the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015-2025, which is under the higher education.
02:01He further explained that student intakes are managed via mainstream,
02:05which is better known as UPU online channel and the commercial channel.
02:13The former is standardized by the government and allocated for local students
02:18from lower-income families, especially the B40 group.
02:23And the commercial channel is for the fee-paying students
02:26from the M40 and T20 groups as well as international students.
02:32I stop here. Just for your information, to complete the MDBS course in University of Malaya
02:39and other universities in Malaysia, public universities,
02:43it only takes about 15,000 to complete the five-year course.
02:50Correct? I see?
02:52In comparison, in order to complete under this, the five-year course in MU,
02:59under Satu, which is the open channel, the cost is $500,000,
03:04which is merely 3% of the total fees you pay under Satu.
03:10So, according to the professor representing all the public universities,
03:15he said, revenue generated through the commercial channel is used to support
03:20internet institutional sustainability and quality improvement.
03:24It is reported that in 2023, public universities generated over 500 million ringgit through commercial programs.
03:34This concern is valid.
03:37I mean, what OIB, Professor, Dr. Haim, Aliman Abdullah said is actually valid.
03:45And supported by 2022 report from the Ministry of Higher Education at MUHEG,
03:52stating that nearly 60% of applicants to public universities come from B40 group.
03:59So, referring to the chart on the number of enrollment in bachelor,
04:04bachelor's degree programs via Satu 2018 to 2022, cited from the University of Malaya Annual Report 2018 to 2022,
04:14the number of applications rose significantly at over five years,
04:19142 in 2018, 185 in 2019, 209 in 2020, 351 in 2021,
04:28and 399 in 2022.
04:34This increasing trend is worrying as it suggests that those with financial means can gain admission to IPTAs or public universities with ease,
04:45thereby affecting the quota or the allocation for more academically deserving but less financial capability students.
04:53So, this is the first aspect that I would like to touch on.
04:56The second one is on the tuition fees.
04:58Currently, anyone aspiring to pursue a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery MBBS
05:04at the University of Malaya is required to pay tuition fees amounting to RM500,000 for 2025 and 2026 intake.
05:15A 67.1% increase compared to RM299,200 in the previous session, which is 2024 and 2025.
05:27And this stands in stark contrast to the tuition fee of only RM15,000 for five years MBBS program under the UPU Parkway.
05:37What message is being sent out here?
05:41That children from low-income families, particularly from the B40 and M40 groups,
05:46do not deserve to become doctors or professionals in other fields?
05:51Is the field of medicine and other critical, other critical courses now reserved exclusively exclusively for the elite?
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