Seeking Answers: Dr Wee says steep tuition fees under the Open Channel is a disadvantage to local students. —Photo courtesy of Dr Wee’s Facebook page
KUALA LUMPUR: The rapid growth of international student intake at Malaysia’s public universities is raising concerns that Malaysian students are being sidelined in favour of revenue-driven policies, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said enrolment data from public universities, particularly the country’s top five elite institutions, showed that the compound annual growth rate of foreign student enrolment, both undergraduate and postgraduate, had far outstripped that of local students.
Figures from the Higher Education Ministry revealed that between 2018 and 2024, the number of foreign students in public universities nearly doubled from 10,003 to 19,731, while local student numbers rose more modestly from 172,719 to 191,450.
“The ratio of foreign to local students has narrowed significantly, shifting from 1:17 in 2018 to 1:10 in 2024.
“This clearly shows the gap is closing too fast. If such wide avenues can be opened for foreign students, why can’t the same be done for local students?” said Dr Wee in a Facebook video.
He also raised concerns about irregularities in the admissions process, citing allegations that some students were offered courses under the Open Channel as early as July, before the results of the merit-based Saluran Perdana UPU admissions channel are released in September.
“This directly contradicts what was said by the Deputy Higher Education Minister in the Special Chamber,” he noted.
Deputy Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud had recently stated that the projected capacity or number of seats for STPM or equivalent leavers entering Bachelor’s degree programmes via the UPUOnline system had actually increased over the past three years.
For the Academic Session 2022/2023, there were 71,615 places; in 2023/2024, 72,772 places; and in 2024/2025, 75,447 places.
Dr Wee further questioned anomalies in the data, including medical programmes.
“What is the logic when the number of medical graduates at Universiti Malaya exceeds the number of places originally offered?” he asked, adding that his claims were supported by information from the ministry’s website, university reports and the Malaysian Public University Data Collection System.
He also criticised steep tuition fee hikes under the Open Channel, arguing that they disadvantaged local students.
“What is the justification for such drastic fee increases that appear to prioritise revenue generation over access for Malaysians?” he said.
Dr Wee cited cases of high-achieving STPM students who were overlooked under the UPU channel but later offered the same courses via the Open Channel.
“These discrepancies not only undermine public confidence in the fairness of the admissions system but also risk marginalising talented local students who deserve equal opportunities,” he stressed.
“The Higher Education Ministry must come forward immediately and provide a full explanation. These questions have remained unanswered since June.”
