KUCHING: SUPP Kuching Branch Youth Deputy Secretary Alan Bong Kit Khoon has voiced concern over the inconsistency between the Federal Government’s initial promise and the actual implementation of the automatic matriculation admission policy for SPM candidates.
Bong pointed out that when the Prime Minister first announced the policy last year, it was stated that students who obtained 10As, regardless of race, would be automatically admitted.
However, no clarification was made at the time that A- grades would be excluded. The Ministry of Education has since limited automatic admission only to students with A and A+ grades, requiring those with A- to undergo further merit-based filtering.
This shift in interpretation, he said, has led to the rejection of at least 214 students who scored 10As, including A- grades.
He noted that under the SPM grading system, A-, A, and A+ are all commonly recognised as excellent results. It is therefore reasonable for the public to expect that 10As includes all three.
The current implementation, however, draws a line between students with very similar achievements. For example, a student with 9 As and 1 A+ qualifies for automatic entry, while another with 9 As and 1 A- does not. Bong stressed that this undermines the very intent of rewarding academic excellence fairly.
Since the Ministry has confirmed that it never officially stated A- is not considered an A, Bong said the policy should reflect that position.
Achieving 10As, including A-, is no small feat and should be properly acknowledged. He warned that arbitrary technical exclusions could confuse students and weaken public trust in the fairness of education policies.
Bong also highlighted Sarawak’s approach in promoting equitable education through merit. These include removing ethnic quotas in university entry, providing performance-based aid, and introducing universal free tertiary education starting in 2026.
He urged the Federal Government to take note, arguing that a transparent and outcome-based model, like Sarawak’s, would better reward excellence, reduce inequality, and help retain Malaysia’s top talents.
By Connie Chieng