Dream denied: STPM top scorer asks 'how good must you be?'

Dream denied: STPM top scorer asks 'how good must you be?'

Haspaizi Zain
Published: Sep 8, 2025 5:25 PM
Updated: 8:12 PM



Edward Wong, who scored a 4.0 CGPA in the STPM examination, had set his sights on becoming an accountant. But his dream was shattered when six universities rejected his applications.

His story took a turn after he shared his disappointment on Facebook. The post quickly gained traction and drew the attention of MCA president Wee Ka Siong, who today stood beside Wong at a press conference at the party’s Kuala Lumpur headquarters.

Wong (above) told reporters that he had hoped to pursue his accounting degree at Universiti Malaya (UM), the same university from which his sister had recently graduated.

“The reality is disappointing. Some doubt my abilities, some don’t believe in me, and some say they can’t help.

“How excellent do we need to be to choose (the course of study we desire)?” he asked, adding that he would continue to appeal.

Wee urged UM to reconsider and grant the outstanding student his wish to pursue accounting, noting that Wong had instead only been offered a place in management studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

“He scored a CGPA of 4.0. His co-curricular participation is 9.9/10. Yet he failed to get a place in accounting.

“Wong took Accounting, Economics, General Studies, and ICT, scoring an A in all. Unfortunately, however, he was not accepted to pursue accounting at the public universities he applied to,” Wee added.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong


According to the Ayer Hitam MP, other students with a CGPA of 3.8 had been offered the accounting course, but Wong was rejected.

“We appeal to UM to have pity on him, this is not about race,” Wee added.

Wong’s woe

In a Facebook post yesterday, Wong revealed that management was only his fifth choice, which he described as “neither my passion, nor my dream, nor the reward for my two years of struggle”.

After failing to secure a seat for accounting, Wong said he sought answers by contacting the University Central Unit (UPU) and the six universities.

“But the answers contradicted one another. Some said STPM, Matriculation, Asasi, and Diploma students compete in the same pool. Others said they are separate pools.

“If they are truly separate, why was I, with 99.90 percent merit, denied accounting? If they are the same, how can someone with near-perfect merit be entirely rejected?

“The big question remains: Is this system truly transparent, consistent, and fair?” he asked.

Wong noted that STPM is a rigorous journey that tests not only a student’s grasp of the syllabus but also their mental, physical, and emotional resilience.

“We stay up late nights, rewrite essays again and again, and push ourselves far beyond our limits. We endure because we believe that Malaysia will reward hard work. But today, it feels as though that promise has been broken.

“I do not write this only for myself. I write because I know there are many other STPM students out there who may share the same fate. If even a near-perfect (score) student can be sidelined, what hope is left for the rest? What will become of STPM’s future?

“I still believe in Malaysia. I still believe this country can be fair to all. But fairness must be proven through action, not just words.

“Thank you for reading. This voice is not mine alone - it is the voice of every STPM student who longs for a system that is transparent, consistent, and truly fair,” he added.