1,000 offers to Chinese students for matriculation programme

PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Education (KPM) has offered 1,000 special places for outstanding Chinese Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students from the B40 lower income group to the 2018/2019 session matriculation programme.
Education Minister Maszlee Malik stressed that the increase in the special offer to the Chinese students would not affect the intake of bumiputra students to the matriculation programme.
Until yesterday, he said more than 800 places under the special offer had been filled.
"The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government always sticks to the stand to assist all outstanding and academically qualified students and who have a need to be helped due to their socio-economic level," he told a media conference at his ministry here today.
With regard to Indian students under the programme, Maszlee said the previous government had announced an additional recruitment of 700 students in April.
The KPM matriculation programme is a pre-university programme provided by the government for bumiputra students to pursue their studies for the first degree in professional science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
In 2003, the programme provided 10% of places for non-bumiputra students in order to create a healthy competition while strengthening national integration and racial unity.
For the 2018/2019 session, Maszlee said 84,891 applications were received including 20,040 applications from non-bumiputra students.
"A total of 4,068 non-bumiputra students have been offered a place in matriculation colleges for this session," he said.
Asked whether the 10% intake of non-bumiputra students to the matriculation college would increase next year, he said the government would see its need. — Bernama