CHINESE educationists and academics have greeted news of a possible merger of STPM and the matriculation programme with caution, saying it will not solve the problem of racial quotas and could well end up a case of old wine in a new bottle.

On the practical side, the many different aspects of the two programmes would have to be streamlined and that may prove difficult to do, they said.

Will a merger improve standards?

Lim Lian Geok Foundation chairman, Lau Chee Boon, said Putrajaya should consider making STPM the only pathway to public universities, which would elevate the quality of public education.

If the racial quota issue is not addressed in the merger of STMP and matriculation, the quality of education will remain poor, he said.

“The government needs to improve the competitiveness of Bumiputera students. So let them compete with everyone else on the same level instead of putting the cart before the horse and focusing on the weak. That will only bring down the quality of education,” Lau said.

He suggested the government provide an even quota for the various races while helping Bumiputera students to improve their learning abilities, to the point the quota system could be phased out.

“I hope the government can eventually phase out the matriculation programme and return to STPM. This will help increase the competitiveness of our students.

Merging apples with oranges

Media and politics lecturer Liew Wui Chern highlighted the differences between the STPM and matriculation programmes, noting it would be difficult to merge “apples and oranges”.

The two programmes are separately managed and that’s already one fundamental difference,” he said.

“Which system would be used after the merger? Or will there be an entirely new system? These are huge issues. You must know what the entire curriculum involves and how students will be rated.

“The matriculation programme is more flexible and has a longer period for graduation. In comparison, the STPM is ‘do or die’. Students only have one chance to pass and this creates more pressure to perform.”

Liew said if the two programmes were merged, there would need to be a dedicated department to manage the resultant product, which includes determining  the syllabus, semester length, scoring, examination, teacher selection, and admission requirements, among others.

If the merged programme were to hold to matriculation standards, it could create “inadequate student quality”. If it were slanted towards STPM standards, it might disadvantage weaker students, he said.

If the proposed merger was not well executed, it could give rise to even more dissatisfaction among the races, said Liew, who teaches at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.

The proposed merger could mean making Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera students compete on the same level, he said, which raises the question of whether that would be acceptable to the Bumiputera community, given that the matriculation programme was incepted to offer them easier entry into university.

A merger will certainly test the government’s wisdom, he said.

Towards a class-less system

Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) cultural and educational committee member Ng Sui Thye asked who would determine the standard of the syllabus and  exams after the merger.

Ng said he preferred a “moderately difficult programme” but also hoped that the Education Ministry would aim for a classless system to show that everyone can have an education.

“On one hand, there is the perception that the higher the difficulty, the higher the quality (of the education), and the matriculation programme is not very difficult. Although we do not need too high a threshold for public university admission, it is worth considering adjusting the level of difficulty. 

Ng, who is a private secondary school teacher, said the country’s educators should emulate the global trend of teaching students according to their abilities rather than leaving it to “survival of the fittest”.

“It used to be that only the best of the best can enter university. We should change with the times. Now they educate you according to the field that suits you.”

He also cautioned against lowering standards too much as better quality education should be among the aims of the merger.

Ultimately, Liew hoped the Education Ministry would implement a merit-based university entry system. It should consider how a revamp of the matriculation and STPM programmes would impact Malaysian education in the long run.

“(In the end), will there be enough places in the public universities? If the number of places were to be increased, would it lead to the commercialisation of public universities? These are issues that need to be considered.” – June 1, 2019.