KUCHING: Questions have arisen over the fairness of the matriculation system following the federal government’s decision to maintain the 90 per cent bumiputera quota while granting automatic admission to students scoring 10As.
Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Batu Kitang branch secretary Amy Tnay said the move, recently announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, may appear progressive on the surface but does not address deeper structural inequalities in the education system.
“Offering automatic admission to top scorers addresses part of public concern, but the issue is not limited to a small group of elite students; it is about whether the system as a whole is fair,” she said in a statement today.
Tnay argued that the existing 90:10 quota continues to disadvantage many high-performing non-bumiputera students amid intense competition.
She described the policy as a “symbolic patch” that benefits only a select group while leaving broader inequalities unresolved.
“It allows a few outstanding individuals to break through, but fails to address the imbalance faced by the majority,” she said.
She added that educational opportunities should not be confined to top scorers, stressing that fairness should be based on merit rather than on long-standing quota systems.
Tnay also highlighted what she described as a disconnect between public expectations and current federal policies, noting that calls for merit-based systems have grown in recent years.
“If institutions fail to evolve with the times, reforms will remain a continuation of the status quo,” she said.
In contrast, she pointed to Sarawak’s approach, which she said has gradually shifted towards performance-based education policies that emphasise fair competition in a multicultural society.
She urged the federal government to review the current system and consider adopting more inclusive policies, including the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
“Recognising the UEC is not merely a policy adjustment, but a step towards respecting a diverse education system,” she said.
Tnay added that education should serve as a pathway for upward mobility rather than being limited by policy structures.
“When fairness is compromised, it affects not only individual opportunities but also the nation’s future competitiveness,” she said.
