Minister asks for time, promises no 10A student left out of matriculation

The education minister has requested more time to address the placement issue for outstanding SPM students who do not have spots in the government’s matriculation programme.

Taking to Facebook, Fadhlina Sidek reiterated her commitment to ensuring all students with 10As in SPM would have the opportunity to further their education.

“Please do not worry. No high-achieving students will be left behind.

“Together with the Higher Education Ministry, we have taken proactive steps to ensure that all outstanding SPM students have opportunities for further education,” she said.

On June 30, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the lifting of the racial barrier for high-achieving non-Malay students to pursue studies in the matriculation programme.

Following the announcement, several political leaders and NGOs reported that 10As SPM scorers still missed out on matriculation placements, after the outcome of matriculation enrollment appeals was announced yesterday.

The matriculation programme currently allocates 90 percent of its spots to bumiputera students, reserving the remaining 10 percent for non-bumiputera.

Further elaborating, Fadhlina described Anwar’s announcement as a bold step to ensure no top scorer is left behind while safeguarding the rights of bumiputera students.

“The government’s commitment to safeguarding bumiputera rights is evident through retaining the existing quota for the matriculation programme,” she added.

In May, Education director-general Azman Adnan revealed that 11,713 candidates who sat for the 2023 SPM examination obtained excellent results with grades A+, A, and A- in all subjects.

The government announced in 2019 that the matriculation programme could accommodate 40,000 students, compared to 25,000 in previous years.

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