A recent STPM graduate opened up about his frustration after being rejected by six universities for a Bachelor’s in Accounting, only to be placed in a Management course instead.
Edward Wong, who had a 4.0 CGPA, straight As, a 9.9/10 co-curricular score, and a 99.90% merit score, later questioned the transparency and fairness of the system.
Edward Wong
“Malaysia could risk losing its brightest talents”
Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong has since raised the issue, calling for reforms in Malaysia’s public university admission system.
He said the incident was unacceptable and warned that Malaysia could risk losing “its brightest young talents” to nearby countries like Singapore.
The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) subsequently clarified that Edward was ranked 1,129th out of 2,291 eligible applicants for University Malaya (UM), while only 85 accountancy spots were available at his top-choice university this year.
UMNO Youth Chief Dr. Akmal Saleh also urged the MCA president to apologise to MOHE for his comments.
Wee Ka Siong
“MCA could finally act like the old DAP”
After the issue came to light, local influencer and lawyer Kiang Jau Sang took to Facebook to praise Wee for his “heroic” handling of the matter.
“I never thought that after knowing Dr. Wee Ka Siong for so long, I’d see him as a hero, especially after watching him go from a full head of black hair to losing it all. I really never thought MCA could finally act like the old DAP, speaking up for the people,” he wrote.
He also pointed out problems in the education system, after learning that the student in question had scored a perfect 4-flat in STPM, yet still couldn’t secure a spot in the local university.
“Don’t tell me it’s because he didn’t take certain math subjects. I got an A1 in SPM math and the same in Principles of Accounting. You don’t need dy/dx to handle accounting problems. People who say you need extra math to study accounting clearly don’t understand the field.”
Kiang Jau Sang (left) and Wee Ka Siong (right)
Edward was offered a full scholarship
In a follow-up update, it was reported that Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) are willing to offer Edward a full scholarship.
In a press conference, Wee stressed that scholarships from the two universities linked to his party shouldn’t be seen as a fix for the bigger issues behind Edward’s case.
He said Edward felt he deserved a spot in the country’s top public universities.
“He believes this is his constitutional right. With results like his, he should be eligible for the best universities in the country. Why shouldn’t he fight for his rights? I respect that,” Wee said.
He also responded to UMNO Youth Chief Dr Akmal Saleh, who had called on him to apologise to MOHE, asking:
“What does Datuk Akmal Saleh think now that the Bumiputera quota has been commercialised and can be sold? Does he agree that admission into the Science Foundation program should depend on a student’s financial ability?”
Stay tuned to WORLD OF BUZZ for the latest updates!
Also read: Dr Akmal Tells MCA to Apologise for Questioning MOHE Over Viral STPM Student’s Rejection from 6 Unis
