ECHOING the letter “Public universities are still the top choice” published in The Star on Jan 17 last year, I completely agree that for most parents (and students), public university education is still the top choice.
The more pertinent question is whether all suitably qualified Malaysians are able equally to apply to enrol in our top public universities or is this a privilege reserved for those with specific pre-university qualifications? Does our rigid UPU system for public university applications facilitate the Malaysian brain drain? This may be a surprise to some, but there are young Malaysians who want to remain in Malaysia, who want to study in the hallowed halls of our public universities, but are not given the opportunity to do so right from the application stage.