The race-based quota system in education should be abolished as it only marginalised non-Bumiputeras from the B40 community, Klang MP Charles Santiago.
In a statement, Charles said more than 200 straight-A Indian students were denied entrance to the pre-university matriculation system and were hardly given the required time to appeal.
He then compared it with a 90% admission for the bumiputra students, calling it an entrenching institutionalised racism in education.
“Such race-based quota system denies students access to higher education despite obtaining good grades,” Santiago pointed out.
Meanwhile, he also said that Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin has acknowledged that the education system has remained stagnant due to unwillingness to make changes, leaving other countries to surpass us comes as no surprise.
“Instead of making university admissions accessible based on merit, the government chooses to play the race card,” Santiago said.
Santiago added that the discriminatory practice that denies children who come from the B40 group a better future just because of their race will only sow hate and animosity among the different races.
“So, instead of lamenting about the state of education, Mohd Radzi must instead create a system that’s fair to all Malaysians irrespective of race or religion,” he said.
“Meritocracy is important moving forward, and easy pathways, premised on rights and needs to accessing university education is the way to create well-qualified and intelligent leaders of the future.”
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