Universiti Malaya should postpone its intake under Saluran Terbuka Universiti Awam (Satu) and suspend the planned tuition fee hike for its Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and other medical courses, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
At a press conference on Monday (June 24), the MCA president urged the Higher Education Ministry to act immediately, warning that the rising cost of medical education and lack of transparency in the Satu admission channel could exclude low- and middle-income students, especially those who failed to secure seats via the UPU centralised system.
The Ayer Hitam MP emphasised that the escalating fee burden of the Satu channel and the erosion of transparency in public university admissions is a matter of national concern, not only for the Chinese community but for all Malaysians who depend on public education as a vehicle for social mobility.
00:00So through the MCA position paper today we hereby present five recommendations to the government to ensure that children from underprivileged families, especially dues in the B40 and M40 categories, are granted their rightful access to education.
00:16First, the immediate term, postponement or suspension of SATU intake and withhold fee increase for MBBS and other courses.
00:26So second, postpone the intake via SATU until all issues are clarified and resolved.
00:36Postpone the MBBS fees increase to 500,000 under SATU channel for 2025 and 2026 session and other unreasonable fee increments for other critical costs.
00:47The third one, conduct an independent audit of SATU structure to justify the cost in comparison to equivalent public and private universities.
01:00So number four, provide a clear explanation for the rationale and also decision behind the fee increase.
01:07And next, ensuring transparency in student admission processes.
01:13So I have a few points here.
01:15First, disclose the number of admission by qualification, be it matriculation, STPM, foundation, ASAC and also diploma, for high demand courses such as medicine and other critical courses.
01:28Second, publish the algorithm used by UPU to assess and standardize CGPA across different pre-university programs.
01:36And third one, publish an annual report on SATU and UPU emissions as well as the allocation of resources for critical courses.
01:47And next, expanding UPU intake capacity for MBBS, medical-related fields and other critical courses.
01:55And under this, we would like to suggest to increase the number of subsidized seats in UPU for critical courses to reduce dependency on the self-funded SATU strip.
02:09Second, review the reallocation of financial resources or reprioritization within Budget 2026 and the 13th Malaysian Plan to reflect priorities in healthcare and education.
02:22And number four, governance reform of dual admission channels.
02:29Under this, we would like to suggest that the government to establish independent oversight over SATU or open channel admissions to ensure fairness and reduce excessive commercialization.
02:41Second, limit admissions of set threshold to avoid over-reliance on fee-paying students for flagship public university programs.
02:50And third, ensure that SATU does not become a backdoor or financial filter that replaces merit.
03:00Five, ensuring fairness for STPM students.
03:05Review the UPU evaluation framework to ensure fair treatment for STPM manipulation and foundation students.
03:12Second, consider the justification that reflects the academic regal and also duration of STPM courses, which is one and a half years.
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