Sharp hike in UM medical tuitions risks shutting out qualified B40 students, says Dr Wee

The Star

The steep increase in Universiti Malaya’s (UM) medical tuition fees risks shutting out academically qualified B40 students from pursuing degrees in medicine and other critical fields, warns Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.  Speaking at a press conference at Wisma MCA on Tuesday (June 24), the MCA president expressed deep concern over recent changes in Malaysia’s higher education policies, particularly those that risk marginalising students from B40 and M40 households.  He questioned whether the sharp fee disparity sends the wrong message to students from less privileged backgrounds and undermines efforts to ensure equitable access to education.  Read more at https://tinyurl.com/3bj3r3xx   WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00It's heartening to note that public universities are seen as being selective in their student admissions

00:06by favouring those from high-income families, raising questions about the fairness of meritocracy in the selection process.

00:16There are two key issues I would like to raise here.

00:19First is on the student admission process.

00:22Second is on the tuition fees.

00:25I go to the first one, student admission process.

00:28It is well known that STPM graduates have two options for entering UM through the Unit Pusat Universiti UPU

00:37or via the UM Direct Open Channel which is called Saluran Terbuka Universiti Melayu or SATU 1.

00:47I share the concern voiced by a former University Utara Malaysia Vice Chancellor,

00:52Professor Dr. Haim Hilman Abdullah, who in December 2024, now he is the ex-co member in charge of education in Kedak,

01:05expressed serious concern over the admission process for public universities in Malaysia.

01:10He also alleged that the open channel pathway for university admissions may contribute to systemic inequality

01:17and disadvantaged students from underprivileged backgrounds.

01:22So, in response, in response to the allegation,

01:26the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Rectors of Public Universities,

01:30Chairman, Professor, Dr. Mohamed Ekwan Toriman,

01:34issued a formal rebuttal and reaffirmed that public university admissions decisions

01:40are based on a combination of academic merit, co-curricular achievement,

01:47socio-economic background, and standardized screening processes aligned with the policies

01:53under the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015-2025, which is under the higher education.

02:01He further explained that student intakes are managed via mainstream,

02:05which is better known as UPU online channel and the commercial channel.

02:13The former is standardized by the government and allocated for local students

02:18from lower-income families, especially the B40 group.

02:23And the commercial channel is for the fee-paying students

02:26from the M40 and T20 groups as well as international students.

02:32I stop here. Just for your information, to complete the MDBS course in University of Malaya

02:39and other universities in Malaysia, public universities,

02:43it only takes about 15,000 to complete the five-year course.

02:50Correct? I see?

02:52In comparison, in order to complete under this, the five-year course in MU,

02:59under Satu, which is the open channel, the cost is $500,000,

03:04which is merely 3% of the total fees you pay under Satu.

03:10So, according to the professor representing all the public universities,

03:15he said, revenue generated through the commercial channel is used to support

03:20internet institutional sustainability and quality improvement.

03:24It is reported that in 2023, public universities generated over 500 million ringgit through commercial programs.

03:34This concern is valid.

03:37I mean, what OIB, Professor, Dr. Haim, Aliman Abdullah said is actually valid.

03:45And supported by 2022 report from the Ministry of Higher Education at MUHEG,

03:52stating that nearly 60% of applicants to public universities come from B40 group.

03:59So, referring to the chart on the number of enrollment in bachelor,

04:04bachelor's degree programs via Satu 2018 to 2022, cited from the University of Malaya Annual Report 2018 to 2022,

04:14the number of applications rose significantly at over five years,

04:19142 in 2018, 185 in 2019, 209 in 2020, 351 in 2021,

04:28and 399 in 2022.

04:34This increasing trend is worrying as it suggests that those with financial means can gain admission to IPTAs or public universities with ease,

04:45thereby affecting the quota or the allocation for more academically deserving but less financial capability students.

04:53So, this is the first aspect that I would like to touch on.

04:56The second one is on the tuition fees.

04:58Currently, anyone aspiring to pursue a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery MBBS

05:04at the University of Malaya is required to pay tuition fees amounting to RM500,000 for 2025 and 2026 intake.

05:15A 67.1% increase compared to RM299,200 in the previous session, which is 2024 and 2025.

05:27And this stands in stark contrast to the tuition fee of only RM15,000 for five years MBBS program under the UPU Parkway.

05:37What message is being sent out here?

05:41That children from low-income families, particularly from the B40 and M40 groups,

05:46do not deserve to become doctors or professionals in other fields?

05:51Is the field of medicine and other critical, other critical courses now reserved exclusively exclusively for the elite?

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