PETALING JAYA: The crux of the issue involving prospective students applying to Universiti Malaya’s Satu (open channel) route is not a question of ensuring the financial sustainability of a university, but equity and fairness, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic).
The MCA president said that while supporters of the Satu route argued that it was a necessary move to provide an alternative source of funding for universities, it still deprives students of their first-choice course simply because they can’t afford to pay private-tier fees.
“That’s not a question of ‘financial sustainability.’ That’s a question of equity and basic fairness.
“If Satu runs in parallel, fine. But when top scorers—those with 4.0 CGPAs and perfect merit—get pushed aside or told, ‘you can still enter… just pay,’ then the system is broken.
“You cannot preach about world-class education while quietly normalising a two-tier structure where money quietly outranks merit,” he added.
Dr Wee was responding to UM associate professor Dr Adelina Asmawi, who said in a post on social media that the purpose of Satu is to provide an alternative source of funding for universities, as the government had significantly reduced subsidies and financial aid for public institutions.
Adelina said that Satu fees, while higher than the public pathway, remain considerably lower than those of private universities.
She also said students entering Satu must still meet academic qualifications and if required, pass interviews for specific programs.
Adelina argued the additional revenue from Satu supports academic activities such as conferences, training, covering international publication fees, supporting sabbaticals and other essential academic functions, which is not covered by Putrajaya.
Elaborating further, Dr Wee said that at the end of the day, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure public universities are funded well enough so that every top-performing student can pursue their chosen field without paying private-level fees.
“Anything less is a betrayal of the social contract and a mockery of the promise of upward mobility through education.
“So yes, universities can ‘look wider’ at funding—but the government must ‘look harder’ at its own duty,” he added.
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Dr Wee believes that prestigious universities should find ways to commercialise their research and development work to increase the universities revenue, rather than imposing exorbitant fees on underprivileged students.
“This is extremely unfair to them,” added Dr Wee.
The fee increase for Universiti Malaya’s MBBS programme – from RM299,200 in 2024/2025 to RM500,000 in 2025/2026 – has sparked public outcry, with critics warning it will make medical education unattainable for most STPM and matriculation graduates unless they are well-off.
The criteria for enrolment in degree programmes differs between the UPUOnline and Satu channels. For UPUOnline, applicants need a minimum CGPA of 3.00-3.80, with a higher threshold of 3.80 for competitive courses like MBBS.
Accepted qualifications include STPM, matriculation, Asasi UM, or equivalents such as A-Levels with AAA grades or IB with 36 points. Additionally, candidates must meet specific subject requirements, such as an A- in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics/Mathematics for MBBS.
In contrast, Satu maintains similar academic standards but offers flexibility for non-current year qualifications. For Malaysians applying to MBBS through Satu, a CGPA of 3.80 is required.
