ALOR SETAR: The increasing reliance on direct or open entry routes into public universities will shortchange high-achievers from low and middle-income families aiming for critical fields like medicine, engineering and law, says Kedah Higher Education committee chairman Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah.
“It’s disheartening when a student from a poor family, who scored straight A’s, may not get into a public medical programme due to limited slots, while someone with lower results can enter through the open route if they can afford it,” said Haim Hilman, who is also a former Universiti Utara Malaysia vice-chancellor.
