No quota for B40 children to enter MRSM, Dewan Negara told

KUALA LUMPUR: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) has not set any quota for children from the lower income group (B40) to gain entry into Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) nationwide, said Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi.
He said various efforts were being made to increase the number of candidates from B40 families to have access to quality education and training at MRSMs including raising the weightage in merit calculations based on the socio-economic status of students from the group.
"The entry requirements to enter MRSM are also more flexible for these students. In the peninsula 3As, 3Bs is required while in Sabah and Sarawak 3As, 2Bs and 1C with an A for Science or Mathematics being sufficient," he said when winding up debate on the Supply Bill 2018 for his ministry at the Dewan Negara sitting here, yesterday.
He said outreach programmes were also implemented before the announcement of the Primary School Assessment Report 2017 to identify candidates eligible from the B40 group who were interested in furthering their studies at MRSMs.
Senator Datuk Shahanim Mohamad Yusoff had proposed that the quota for outstanding students from the B40 group to enter MRSM and fully residential schools be set at 75%.
She also recommended that a special quota is established for the B40 group to take up positions in the public sector to assist the group in the long run.
The Dewan Negara sitting continues today. — Bernama