PETALING JAYA: The current matriculation system is failing top students, according to MCA president Datuk Dr Seri Wee Ka Siong.
"This week, I received heartbreaking appeals from two disappointed students from SMK Tinggi St David in Melaka, Hiew Kai Xuan and Wang Yu Ze.
"Both achieved straight 9A+ with merit scores as high as 98.99 and 99.14 respectively, yet were rejected twice from the matriculation programme.
"They held leadership roles in school, actively contributed to co-curricular activities, represented their states at various levels, won a Gold Award at ITEX, and even emerged as second runner-up in the National Science and Mathematics Quiz.
"Their achievements reflect both intellectual brilliance and well-rounded character," he said in a Facebook post.
Dr Wee mentioned that an appeal had been sent to the Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh but it was not fruitful.
"I urge the Education Minister to urgently review these cases and address this systemic flaw. These students deserve not just a response, but a solution," he said.
Dr Wee stated that students like them represented around 86% of applicants who took only nine subjects for their SPM exams, a fact confirmed by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
"She also stated that only 14% of the applicants took ten subjects. It is perplexing that the minister openly acknowledged this majority, yet the policy failed to account for or include this large group of high-achieving students.
"When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced on June 30 last year that all students who obtained 10As and above in the SPM will be guaranteed a place in any matriculation programme regardless of race or locality, it was too late for the students to register for the 10th subject in the examinations as the registration process was already over in early 2024," he said.
He added that he had constantly stressed that students who scored 9A+ should be given fair access to the matriculation programme as well.
"These students did everything right by achieving the highest possible grades in every subject they took.
"However, they are now being punished for a technicality or weakness in the system they had no control over.
"Why did the Government focus only on the 14% minority and neglect the majority of 86% applicants?" he said.
