KUALA LUMPUR: The relevant authorities have been urged to ensure more transparency in all Central University Admission Unit (UPU) applications so students know why they were unsuccessful in securing a place.
In making the call for more transparency, Parti Bangsa Malaysia said the rejection of some of the high scorers with no specified reasons was highly demoralising and also contributed greatly to the brain drain in the country.
Its Young Women's Wing chief Muniraa Abu Bakar highlighted the case of a Mechanical Engineering Diploma holder from Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Polytechnic, Kuantan, Pahang.
In the case, which had gone viral in social media, the student managed to get a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.95, but failed to get a place to continue his degree at a reputable local university.
However, his application on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) portal showed that he received offers from two universities in the United Kingdom.
"It is ironic how the applications from high scorers are rejected by local public universities, but readily accepted by foreign universities," she said in a statement today.
According to reports, over the years, there are over two million Malaysians living and working abroad, many of whom are professionals.
"PBM believes one reason for this is because many students were unable to secure places in local public universities, forcing them to pursue their education overseas.
"Once there, many were likely offered jobs upon completing their studies and have since continued living there," said Muniraa.
However, only students with strong financial background are fortunate enough to be able to pursue their studies abroad or at local private universities.
"What happens to students who do not have the means but have excellent scores and have been rejected by local public universities?
"These students find themselves being forced into employment after being left with no other choice,".
She said this situation was greatly troubling and it was something that warranted immediate attention.
"We cannot afford to lose high achievers to other nations just because of some faults in our local admission system.
"PBM urges those concerned to immediately look into this and come up with a workable solution before more local talents are wasted," she added.
