Their plight, as recently highlighted by Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin in his commendable call for a “Selamatkan STPM” task force, merits a considerate and effective response in line with the 13th Malaysia Plan’s social mobility pillar.
The STPM is a two-year pathway to university, available at numerous schools and a few Form Six colleges across the country, culminating in a challenging, externally administered national exam.
Matriculation colleges offer a one-year programme, teaching a narrower syllabus in a fully residential setting, where the examination is coordinated internally by the Education Ministry.
In 2023, 41,548 students took the STPM exam, while 25,239 were enrolled in matriculation, making these two pathways the primary means of access into (the subsidised placement in) public universities.
STPM students outnumber their matriculation peers, but they are outscored. The disparity in academic results is stark. Sim disclosed from Education Ministry data he obtained through Parliament showing that...