KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr. Wee Ka Siong has questioned discrepancies between data provided by the Higher Education Ministry and the figures reported by universities, especially in relation to admissions into medical programmes.
“Why is the data given by the Ministry not the same as what is reported by the universities? Did the universities provide inaccurate reports to the Ministry, particularly with regard to admissions into medical programmes?” he asked in Parliament, also added a video to his Facebook profile on Tuesday (Aug 26).
The Ayer Hitam MP also highlighted the plight of top-performing students who were not admitted through the UPU channel — the main merit-based system — but instead offered seats only via the Open Channel (Satu), which requires higher fees.
“I have raised two cases as examples, where outstanding students did not receive offers via UPU. Shouldn’t they have been given UPU offers first, since they achieved excellent results in STPM?” he asked.
He thanked Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud for his willingness to engage further on the matter.
“I am grateful to the Deputy Minister for agreeing to hold a follow-up meeting with me and the Petaling Jaya MP, who also raised the same issue in the Special Chambers yesterday,” he said in his post.
Dr Wee reminded that this was not the first time he had pressed for transparency.
“On June 30, 2025, I had requested comprehensive and detailed data to prove that UPU and Satu are on par in student admissions, based on the principle of meritocracy,” he said, adding that affected families deserved clarity.
The MCA president reiterated that fairness and consistency in university admissions are crucial, particularly for competitive fields such as medicine.
