A step in the right direction towards fairness for all

THE latest move to uphold meritocracy regardless of race or religion, by guaranteeing matriculation spots for top Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) achievers is undoubtedly welcome news.

And by top achievers, the government means to reserve seats for those who scored 10As and above; in short, the creme de la creme of the country’s secondary school students.

Disgruntled voices over snubbed applications and desperate appeals to be accepted into matriculation programmes have been heard time and time again over the years from aggrieved top students and their parents. In fact, this year too saw many reports of deserving students being rejected, but we hope that they will be a thing of the past following this decision.

As Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday, this progressive move has been taken in response to calls for a commitment to fairness for all Malaysians.

“Education is the best vehicle to achieve social mobility. The best, the smartest, the brightest should be encouraged, but the poor should not be marginalised,” he said.

This is a development that is undoubtedly long overdue, especially for future generations.

While the outcome of its implementation has yet to be seen and scrutinised, the plan is expected to have positive payoffs, beginning with preventing brain drain among top scorers denied places.

We have heard so many stories of students emptying out family savings or taking up loans to study overseas and then deciding to remain there, where they are given opportunities and appreciated. Problems arising from brain drain, especially the dearth of professional fields needed to serve and further build the country, have plagued the country for much too long.

For now, the Education Ministry said it is working closely with its higher education counterpart to place SPM top scorers in the matriculation programme, and to ensure that all of the spots are filled immediately.

This will definitely alleviate the multitudes of criticisms regularly lobbed at the ministry during the annual college and university enrolment season, especially as it will not affect the existing quota for bumiputra students.

And this plan will hopefully have an additional bonus: instilling in our youth a stronger sense of belonging to the country, where all should be given equal opportunities to succeed in any chosen field.

Needless to say, there will be bumps along the road, brickbats, setbacks, naysayers and detractors. But as long as we keep moving forward in the right direction, the journey will be worthwhile.