Murray Hunter
Ramasamy on education apartheid
P Ramasamy
Sep 10, 2025
The myth of meritocracy in Malaysian public university admission
It is both annoying and frustrating that the Ministry of Education continues to repeat the untruth that admissions to public universities are based on merit.
According to the ministry, 90 percent of admission is determined by academic achievement, and 10 percent by performance in extracurricular activities.
But how can the subjective assessment of extracurricular involvement be legitimately regarded as merit?
The whole world knows that Malaysia’s education system is lopsided in the admission of students from different ethnic origins.
The so-called 9:1 ratio, which supposedly balances academic performance with extracurricular activities, may look defensible on paper. But in practice, admissions are skewed in favour of one ethnic group students, often at the expense of other ethnic groups with equally, if not more, impressive qualifications.
The Ministry of Education conveniently forgets to explain why this weighting is tilted in favour of one ethnicity while insisting on calling the process “merit-based.” If affirmative action is being applied, then why hide it? Why not admit openly that ethnicity is a determining factor in university entry?
Consider the matriculation programme. Is it truly based on merit when about 90 percent of places are reserved for Malays, with Chinese and Indian students allocated a mere 10 percent?
This programme has effectively become a privileged pathway to higher education for one community, despite public universities being funded by taxpayers of all ethnic backgrounds.
Adding to this imbalance is the controversial introduction of a second entry pathway into public universities.
Under the conventional entry system, students pay subsidised fees for their studies. However, under the new second-tier system, fees are much higher and non-subsidised.
Alarmingly, students with excellent grades, who would normally qualify for the first pathway, are sometimes denied it and instead pushed into this costly second track. This is a cruel irony for poor but deserving students, who may gain admission but are saddled with unbearable financial burdens.
How can this dual-track system possibly be reconciled with the ministry’s claim of meritocracy? Instead of enhancing fairness, it undermines it further, revealing deep cracks in the credibility of the admissions process.
Every year, countless students with excellent pre-university qualifications are denied entry into public universities. And yet, almost ritualistically, the ministry repeats its half-truths about admissions being based on meritocracy. These hollow claims, now echoed under the leadership of Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, insult the intelligence of Malaysians, as though the public can be easily fooled into swallowing these fabrications wholesale.
The truth is plain to see: university admissions in Malaysia are not based on meritocracy. They are disproportionately weighted in favour of Malays, marred by ethnic quotas, and riddled with contradictions such as dual entry systems. As long as these realities are denied, the ministry’s proclamations of “merit-based admissions” remain nothing more than a convenient myth.
Sep 10, 2025
The myth of meritocracy in Malaysian public university admission
It is both annoying and frustrating that the Ministry of Education continues to repeat the untruth that admissions to public universities are based on merit.
According to the ministry, 90 percent of admission is determined by academic achievement, and 10 percent by performance in extracurricular activities.
But how can the subjective assessment of extracurricular involvement be legitimately regarded as merit?
The whole world knows that Malaysia’s education system is lopsided in the admission of students from different ethnic origins.
The so-called 9:1 ratio, which supposedly balances academic performance with extracurricular activities, may look defensible on paper. But in practice, admissions are skewed in favour of one ethnic group students, often at the expense of other ethnic groups with equally, if not more, impressive qualifications.
The Ministry of Education conveniently forgets to explain why this weighting is tilted in favour of one ethnicity while insisting on calling the process “merit-based.” If affirmative action is being applied, then why hide it? Why not admit openly that ethnicity is a determining factor in university entry?
Consider the matriculation programme. Is it truly based on merit when about 90 percent of places are reserved for Malays, with Chinese and Indian students allocated a mere 10 percent?
This programme has effectively become a privileged pathway to higher education for one community, despite public universities being funded by taxpayers of all ethnic backgrounds.
Adding to this imbalance is the controversial introduction of a second entry pathway into public universities.
Under the conventional entry system, students pay subsidised fees for their studies. However, under the new second-tier system, fees are much higher and non-subsidised.
Alarmingly, students with excellent grades, who would normally qualify for the first pathway, are sometimes denied it and instead pushed into this costly second track. This is a cruel irony for poor but deserving students, who may gain admission but are saddled with unbearable financial burdens.
How can this dual-track system possibly be reconciled with the ministry’s claim of meritocracy? Instead of enhancing fairness, it undermines it further, revealing deep cracks in the credibility of the admissions process.
Every year, countless students with excellent pre-university qualifications are denied entry into public universities. And yet, almost ritualistically, the ministry repeats its half-truths about admissions being based on meritocracy. These hollow claims, now echoed under the leadership of Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, insult the intelligence of Malaysians, as though the public can be easily fooled into swallowing these fabrications wholesale.
The truth is plain to see: university admissions in Malaysia are not based on meritocracy. They are disproportionately weighted in favour of Malays, marred by ethnic quotas, and riddled with contradictions such as dual entry systems. As long as these realities are denied, the ministry’s proclamations of “merit-based admissions” remain nothing more than a convenient myth.
***
Time for a story from my 'Uncle':
Years ago in the military, each time a training course graduated, the best cadet would in general be an Indian or a Chinese. That status looked perpetual and embarrassing to "The Chosen". Thus a new policy was set - only lo-mediocre 'nons' would be accepted for cadetship, to ensure they don't present a challenge to the best of "The Chosen". Dirgahayu Ketuanan Chosen!
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