We cannot solve the sorry quality of local graduates by focusing only on the universities. Among others, we must address the basic issue of how we prepare our students for college.

At present Malaysia uses internal matriculating examination for Bumiputeras and STPM. As graduates will eventually have to compete globally, we should use internationally accepted examinations to prepare and select future undergraduates.

There are three highly regarded and widely accepted examinations: British GCE A-level, American AP (Advanced Placement), and the International Baccalaureate (IB). The GCE A-level is rigorous but suffers from being too narrow. The IB combines breadth with depth.