PKR views the sudden increase of student intake into higher learning institutions as a positive move by the Ministry of Education due to the party’s and people’s pressure on the ministry.
 
Bayan Baru parliamentarian Sim Tze Tzin (left) said the increase of intake by 25 percent of the students who appealed to the universities proves that the ministry has failed to offer enough places in August, when only 37,467 (or 55 % ) students qualified for a place at the time.
 
“We believe the sudden increase in student intake is a desperate attempt by the ministry as a response to the anger expressed by students and their parents over the matter,” Sim said in a statement.
 
Sim said PKR views this as a positive development, following the pressure by the people and the party. 
 
PKR had set up the Higher Education Advisory and Complaint (HEAP) Portal in August, to assist those who failed to get places in the universities or courses of their choice which was compatible with their qualifications.
 
Sim was referring to Higher Learning Department director general Asma Ismail who recently announced an increase of university student intake by 5,328 for the 2014/15 session, making the total of students offered places in universities this year 42,795.
 
In Penang today, Asma had said that universities can no longer expand in terms of bricks and mortar, so the institutions would have to be very selective as they cannot accept ‘every single person’.
 
“We have to be very selective, those who fit the minimum requirement, but it is getting very competitive... when we have too many who excel, the bar had just gone up and we can’t simply take anyone,” she told reporters at a press conference after opening the Regional Focal Points Meeting (Asia) in University Sains Malaysia campus in Bukit Jambul today.
 
She urged the students to change their perception on education and to also accept offers or apply to study in polytechnics, which also provide degree courses.
 
“That’s the way to move as they (polytechnics) also offer degrees but the students do not see this as an alternative - it can also be choice number one and not number two,” she added.
 
Meanwhile, Sim, who heads the HEAP, said in the first 10 days of the website, 254 students from various communities, especially those from lower income groups, contacted the party about their plight.
 
Sim also said that  it was “still disappointing” that the percentage of intake of students this year is 63.5 percent, a mere 8.5 percent increase, compared to session 2013/2014 when the intake was at 71.9 percent.
 
He pointed out that according to World Bank statistics, the number of Malaysians with higher education was only at 36 percent, far behind South Korea at 89 percent, and neighbouring Thailand at 41 percent.
 
“Why has the intake gone down by 8.4 percent? This figure is worrying. Is MOE facing financial problems? Have the universities changed focus by prioritising intake of foreign students, or is it a government policy to encourage higher learning institution by reducing the intake of qualified students? The ministry has to answer these questions clearly,” he added.
 
Sim also warned the ministry of “commercialising higher education” by allowing the sprouting of higher education institutions.
 
He said that this year alone, parliamentarians have approved a high budget of 21 percent or RM54.6 billion compared to  RM38.7 billion in 2013 to the Ministry of Education.
 
“The increase of RM15.9 billion of 41 percent of the national budget should be used by the MOE to implement its responsibility to educate Malaysians,” he quipped.