KUALA LUMPUR: When Edward Wong Yi Xian scored near-perfect results in his Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) – a 4.0 CGPA and 9.9 out of 10 for co-curricular activities – he thought he would be a shoo-in for his preferred course in university.
The 20-year-old was in for a rude – and bitter – awakening. His applications to study accounting were rejected by six public universities, including UM, UKM, UPM and USM. He had applied for his university place through the Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU).
Wong, the son of a semiconductor industry worker from Bukit Mertajam, had put in two years of dedication and hard work to achieve straight As in all subjects and near-perfect co-curricular activities for a total merit score of 99.9%.
Yet, he was denied his first-choice dream course of accounting at UM, raising fresh concerns over the fairness of Malaysia’s public university admission system. Instead, Wong was offered Management at USM, his fifth choice, without even being called for an interview.
“When I entered Form Six, I only had one dream – to be accepted into UM’s Accounting programme. I poured in all my energy, time and effort, fighting through the most challenging syllabus in the country.
“I never gave up because I believed that if we gave our all, the results would follow. In the first phase, I could not apply for UM because it required three out of four core subjects. Later, when UM revised its requirement back to two, which I had, I reapplied. I was still rejected.
“In the end, all four leading universities also did not offer me Accounting. I was only given management at USM – not the path I had wanted,” Wong told a press conference yesterday.
He noted that some of his peers, with slightly lower scores, managed to enter UM but also not for their preferred courses.
Quoting Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, Wong said STPM was recognised internationally as equivalent to other pre-university qualifications.
“So I must ask, not only for myself – how far must we go to chase our dreams? How much must we struggle just to have the right to choose? Is our hard work not valued?” he asked.
Despite the disappointment, Wong said he would continue to appeal.
“I have endured criticism, doubt, exhaustion, loneliness and tears, yet I never gave up. I will continue to fight until the end – not only for myself, but for all students who strive for fairness and opportunity,” he said.
His father, Wong Hooi Yik, 48, said his son deserves a fair chance with almost perfect scores.
However, the family is holding on to hope as the appeal period remains open until Sept 14.
