DAP Youth chief Woo Kah Leong said these graduates should automatically be allowed to enrol in their first choice of university and course in the applications filed through the University Central Unit (UPU) system.

The Pasir Bedamar assemblyman said this would reflect fairness and meritocracy, principles which he believed should be core pillars of the higher education system.

“In the existing pre-university system, matriculation students have a greater edge over STPM students, leading to excellent STPM students – regardless of race – failing to get into their main choice of public university and course.

“This affects the spirit, motivation, and future of STPM students,” he said in a statement.

Woo said such higher education reforms were needed to improve the quality and competitiveness of graduates while allowing students to uplift the economic standing of their families.

“Just like how the government has guaranteed matriculation placements for all students who achieve 10 As in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), the same approach should be extended to STPM students.”

The education ministry announced on Wednesday that every student who recorded 10 As and above in last year’s SPM and applied for a matriculation programme would be guaranteed a slot, regardless of their race or background.

On Tuesday, the Malaysian Examinations Council said 1,266 candidates who took the STPM exam in 2004 achieved a CGPA of 4.00 while the national average was 2.85, the highest ever recorded.