The Malaysian state's deputy minister of education, innovation, and talent development, Dr. Annuar Rapaee, stated that admission to the five state-owned universities in Sarawak will be determined exclusively by meritocracy in order to select the best of the best.
“Students should be aware that there is no longer a quota system for admission to these universities. To put it another way, it's meritocratic,” Dr. Annuar stated on November 2 during the Sarawak Career and Training Fair 2024. Dr. Annuar is a politician and cardiologist from Malaysia who, since January 2022, has been Premier Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg's State Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state administration.
According to him, students must compete for spots in a meritocratic system.
"Students must understand the value of competition if they want to continue their education at a university," he stated, as reported by The Straits Times.
The five universities are the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak, i-CATS University College, University of Technology Sarawak, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, and Curtin University Malaysia.
Meritocracy is the "only way to train talents and pick the best of the best among our students," according to Dr. Annuar, if Sarawak is to progress toward becoming a developed state.
He added the Sarawak government is improving these colleges' infrastructure to make sure rural kids may enroll, including by spending RM15 million (S$4.5 million) a year to give Secondary 3 and 5 pupils free tuition.
According to Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, Sarawak's decision to eliminate quotas for university admission is courageous and ought to be imitated by others, as reported by The Star.
The former law minister discussed Sarawak's education reform, stating that it is past time for us to adopt a fair system.
More scholarships, tuition fees, and other resources are needed to solve the issue of whether rural or underprivileged students can compete fairly, according to Zaid.
Sources:
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