KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry says a disabled student who scored straight As in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) will be given a public university place following concerns raised by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the case involved an outstanding science-stream student whose application for engineering courses was blocked due to his physical condition.
“I was informed by Yang Berhormat (Dr Wee) about this student recognised as an OKU. The university evaluation had rejected him, despite his full straight As.
He deserves to go to university,” Dr Zambry said in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Aug 19).
He acknowledged that the rejection was due to the institution lacking necessary facilities.
However, Dr Zambry said that such reasons are unacceptable and pledged policy changes to make public universities more inclusive for persons with disabilities.
“We cannot allow excuses like ‘we do not have the facilities’. We must change university policies to ensure greater inclusivity for OKU students.
Therefore, I wish to inform Yang Berhormat that this student, who scored full As, will, God willing, be given a place,” he added.
Dr Wee, who is also Ayer Itam MP, had earlier highlighted the case of Lim Chin Hong, a high-achieving student who lost his right leg due to a medical condition but excelled academically and achieved a 4.0 CGPA in STPM 2024.
Earlier, Dr Wee also questioned the broader admissions policy, citing the case of another student, Aniq, an autistic candidate who scored a CGPA of 3.8 but was unable to secure a university placement.
He said that government policies must not be seen to discriminate against disabled people.
