PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic) has criticised the Higher Education Ministry for what he described as an incomplete and disappointing reply in Parliament on the rising enrolment percentage of international students in local universities.
The MCA president said he had specifically asked for data on student intake since the Open Admission Channel was introduced, but the ministry only provided figures from 2024 onwards, without detailing student qualifications.
Dr Wee said getting the right data is crucial in addressing concerns that qualified local students may be losing out on places in higher learning institutions.
“This is important in light of the growing number of foreign students entering public universities through the Open Admission Channel,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
Dr Wee, who is the Ayer Hitam MP, urged the ministry to provide accurate, comprehensive figures from every public university, including a comparison with the UPU merit-based intake.
He also demanded a proper breakdown of qualifications of the students admitted, such as matriculation, foundation, diploma, A-levels or STPM.
“This situation indirectly affects local students who seek admission to public universities based on merit.
“It must be emphasised that most of these high-achieving local students do not come from wealthy families who can afford to pay high fees,” said Dr Wee.
In a written reply, the ministry said its MyMoheS system recorded 4,122 Malaysian students admitted in 2024 to bachelor’s degree programmes in Medicine (1,546), Dentistry (352), Pharmacy (462) and Law (1,762) at public universities.
Dr Wee has repeatedly warned that foreign student enrolment is rising at a much faster pace than that of Malaysians.
Citing a study by MCA’s think tank, the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research, he noted that Malaysian student intake in public universities grew only 10.8%, from 172,719 in 2018 to 191,450 students in 2024, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.73%.
By comparison, foreign enrolment almost doubled in the same period, climbing from 10,003 students in 2018 to 19,731 in 2024, a 97.3% jump and a CAGR of 11.99%.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir previously responded to Dr Wee, stating that the government continues to prioritise Malaysians, with no compromise on the quotas allocated for local students in public universities.
MCA then urged Zambry to make full admissions data public, adding that the intake of foreign students must not come at the expense of local students.
