KUALA LUMPUR, 28 April 2026 – DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) has firmly rejected the Higher Education Minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir’s call for the issue of student admissions to Public Higher Education Institutions (IPTA) not to be politicised.
In an official statement issued today, Koh Ling Xian, National DAPSY University Affairs Bureau Director, said the plea of “don’t politicise the issue” fails to address the root cause of the problem.
“The disputes over IPTA admissions do not arise without reason and should not be brushed aside merely by labelling them as ‘politicised’. When confusion or a sense of injustice exists — especially when high-achieving students fail to secure places — the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) must respond with facts and transparency,” he said.
DAPSY stressed that the issue continues to linger because data, statistics and the evaluation mechanisms are not disclosed comprehensively and transparently to the public.
“For a long time, the public has been left wondering why some applicants are accepted and why others are rejected. Critical data such as the number of acceptances and rejections by programme, breakdown by entry channel (STPM, Matriculation, Foundation and others), as well as the actual components and weightage of the assessment criteria, are rarely explained in detail,” the statement read.
DAPSY also noted that official explanations from the KPT, including those given during parliamentary question-and-answer sessions, are often general and aggregated only. This creates room for differing interpretations and prolonged speculation. When information is unclear, the issue is easily turned into sentiment, even though the real problem lies in the lack of transparency within the system.
The most practical solution, according to DAPSY, is for the KPT and the University Admissions Unit (UPU) to publicly disclose verifiable information, including:
- Breakdown of accepted students by entry channel
- Selection standards
- Methods of mark calculation
- Merit-based mechanisms used
“Such disclosures will reduce misunderstandings and restore confidence among students and parents,” the statement emphasised.
On long-term reform, DAPSY reiterated its position that the government must seriously consider unifying the university admission system to make it more uniform and consistent, particularly to address longstanding imbalances between entry streams — especially the gap between Matriculation and STPM in terms of course structure, assessment, resource access and co-curricular scoring.
“This issue is not about race, but about procedural fairness and the effectiveness of matching national talent,” it added.
Koh Ling Xian concluded by stressing that IPTA admissions are crucial in determining the younger generation’s trust in the country’s future.
“If even a basic system such as higher education opportunities cannot be explained convincingly, the confidence of our youth will erode, ultimately pushing talent to seek opportunities abroad,” he said.
He urged the government to demonstrate sincerity through greater transparency, systemic improvements and clearer policy communication, rather than simply calling for the issue “not to be politicised”.
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