The DAP today reiterated its call for a common university entrance examination system to replace the controversial merit-based university entrance selection process that was introduced last year.

National chairperson Lim Kit Siang said the current system is flawed because results are based by comparing results obtained through different examination systems - STPM, matriculation and other equivalent examinations.

Healthy competition

STPM is a two-year course with Cambridge University Examination Board representatives as external examiners, while matriculation is an in-house and o­ne-year course.

Other equivalent examinations include that set by the Universiti Malaya's all-bumiputera Pusat Asasi Sains (Centre for Basic Sciences).

"The government must end the highly controversial and unprofessional merit-based university entrance selection system which is generally regarded as a meritocracy system without merit," Lim said in a statement.

He said the system was a "modified extension of the clutches culture and therefore a great disservice to the goal to create a competitive generation of Malaysians".

"It is for this reason that Malaysians, including enlightened Malay academicians and intellectuals, have called for a common university entrance examination in place of the unfair meritocracy university selection system," he said.

Grouping both STPM holders and matriculation students - the majority of whom are bumiputera students - resulted in the intake of bumiputera students exceeding the 55 percent quota last year under the merit system.

This led to complaints by many quarters, including the DAP, over the imbalance created by the merit system due to the different standards in the examinations sat by STPM, matriculation and Pusat Asasi Sains students.

Many educationists called for the introduction of a common entrance examination that would encourage healthy competition among students.

Proven system

Lim also suggested that the government introduce a competitive system based o­n a common university entrance examination with 80 percent of places being awarded o­n merit and 20 percent based o­n need.

He was responding to Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's ( photo ) statement yesterday that the government would continue with the meritocracy system for admission to public universities.

Abdullah was widely reported in the press today as saying that the system had proven to be good and that the government wanted it to be the yardstick in gauging students' achievements. This could not be done under the quota system, which was abolished two years ago.

Last Friday, the ministry announced the student intake into public universities for the new academic session in June.

The intake of bumiputera students dropped by 6.3 percent although it had increased in terms of numbers. ( See chart )

Under the old quota system, 55 percent quota was reserved for bumiputera students in public universities, while Chinese and Indian students were allocated 35 and 10 percent respectively.

The ministry also announced that the ratio of STPM holders and matriculation students who manage to qualify for places in public tertiary institutions was balanced and that there was a slight reduction in the performance of matriculation students.