Don’t penalise everyone

Dr Parmjit: Admitting students based on forecast results has been the practice for the past 30 years.

The decision not to allow forecast results for entry into pre-university programmes leaves thousands of parents  and students in the lurch.

TARGET those in the wrong and do not penalise the students.

National Association of Private Educational Institutions president Assoc Prof Elajsolan Mohan questioned why all private higher education institutions should be targeted.

“If there are those that are flouting this condition, close them down,” he said, adding that the private education sector is supplementing the government’s aim to educate the nation. 

He reiterated that private higher education institutions were not “shortchanging” on the condition and that students do still have to submit their final results in order to remain in their course.

“At least defer implementing this for three to five years in order to give time for parents, SPM school- leavers and the institutions to plan for these changes,” he said.

“Consider that the private institutions face wasting resources for three months and are also answerable to our investors,” Elajsolan said.

Former Malaysian Associa­tion of Private Colleges And Universities (Mapcu) vice president Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said the January intake allowed students to continue their studies uninterrupted by a three-month break that would ultimately slow them down.

“Why hold people back? Good students should be encouraged to reach their full potential,” he said, adding that a competitive streak should be encouraged among the country's students in order to achieve Vision 2020.

Navaratnam said those who violated this ruling should be penalised, regardless of their position or what influence they hold.

He appealed to the ministry to review their decision.

“Policies should be made flexible in order to achieve the goal of making Malaysia an education hub,” he added.

Mapcu president Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh said on Sept 28 that Mapcu acknowledged that one of the conditions stated in all letters of appro­val for private higher education institutions was the entry qualification for each course, but admitting students using their forecast result had been the practice for the past 30 years and even allowed by the Education Ministry.

He said forecast results were highly representative of actual official ones and if reliability of the results were question­ed, the solution should be to specify higher grades of attainment for such results.

Parents interviewed have said that even if SPM school-leavers are encouraged to use the waiting period to enrol in other courses, it is still preferable for their children to further their studies instead.

What students say