PETALING JAYA: More than 200 straight-A Indian students were denied entrance to the pre-university matriculation system and were hardly given the required time to appeal, Klang MP Charles Santiago(pix) said today.
He compared it with a 90% admission for the bumiputra students, calling it an entrenching institutionalised racism in education.
“Such race-based quota system denies students access to higher education despite obtaining good grades,” Santiago said in a statement.
“And so, Education Minister (Datuk) Mohd Radzi Md Jidin acknowledgement that our education system has been stagnant due to unwillingness to make changes, leaving other countries to surpass us comes as no surprise.
“Instead of making university admissions accessible based on merit, the government chooses to play the race card.”
The MP pointed out that it is important to also remember that many of these kids come from the B40 environment, where education is the only way out. But instead they are kept trapped by an apartheid system, he said.
“Such discriminatory practises that deny children a better future just because of their race would only end up sowing hate and animosity amongst the different races.
“So, instead of lamenting about the state of education, Mohd Radzi must instead create a system that’s fair to all Malaysians irrespective of race or religion,” he added.
Santiago renewed the call for meritocracy. “Easy pathways premised on rights and needs in accessing university education is the way to create well-qualified, intelligent leaders of the future,” he said.
