C Sivaraj said he was informed that some courses offered to these students were completely different from what they wanted to pursue, with many being overqualified for the course they were offered.
“There must be some underlying reasons and we must find out the root causes,” he told FMT.
Sivaraj, a former MIC vice-president, said a recent Dewan Negara reply by the higher education ministry on the issue was too broad, offering no details on the courses or universities.
“The ministry said 8,529 Indian students with Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) were offered places in public higher education institutions for the 2024-2025 academic year. As for Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) holders, the number was 4,342,” he said.
However, Sivaraj said he was told that many of these Indian students were given diploma and certificate courses in polytechnic and community colleges, with a low percentage taking up these offers.
He urged the ministry to reveal the universities that offered placements to Indian students, as well as the courses offered, as the students cannot be blamed if the courses offered did not match their aptitude and qualifications.
“Before we can prepare our children for the upcoming academic year, we must first analyse our weaknesses and failures. While I appreciate the ministry’s readiness to give the data, we require more specific or micro data.
“In order to build an effective strategy for the coming year, we need exact data to determine how to increase the number of Indian students enrolling in government institutions of higher learning,” he said.
Last month, the Malaysian Indian People’s Party suggested that the government implement a 7% public university admissions quota for Indian students, based on a target set in the Malaysian Indian Blueprint.
One of the 2017 blueprint’s key goals was for at least 7% of students in all government colleges, universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions to be of Indian descent.
Higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said, however, that admission to public universities was based on merit, particularly for highly sought-after courses, and that the matter should not be turned into a racial issue.