STPM Results: What a Relief!!!

STPM Results 2005

What a relief for the education ministry director and officials!!!

This year, the STPM results shows a large drop in the number of straight 'As' students. Only 362 of the STPM holders scored with 4As and 5As, a drop of more than 50% as compared to the 767 last year.

However, the good news is that matriculation students with a CGPA of 4.0 had increased to 1,263 as compared to 1,247 last year.

Now, the ministry of education can celebrate and breath easy. They can hope that next year, if the STPM figure will drop further, maybe, to less than ten percent or possibly zero percent, then, all the places for the critical courses in the universities, particularly, medicine, pharmacy, engineering, law, accountancy and economics, can then be awarded to all metriculation students as their numbers are expected to increase each year as the system will ensure that their results will be better and better each year.

The percentage of Bumiputra vs non-Bumi for admission into public universities is 62.4% (Bumis), 32% (Chinese), 5.6% (Indians) of a total of 39,976 candidates admitted.

In fact, the number of students admission into public universities as published in the newspaper (The Star) did not include those students admitted at KUIM, UIAM, UiTM, and Islamic Studies faculties of UM and UKM. It also did not include those scholarship holders who are sent to overseas universities.

Should their numbers be included, then UMNO Youth and Khairy will see a better and accurate distribution of admissions; and they can smile relentlessly. Khairy claimed that UMNO Youth's survey prove that last year's admissions to critical courses in public universities was unfavourable to Bumis, but the table published in The Star suggest otherwise. The Year 2004 record (which also exclude those students admitted to the 5 Universities named-above) shows that 3,145 Bumis (59.7%), 1,884 Chinese (35.8%), and 240 Indians (4.6%), were admitted into critical courses. Should we add up those from UiTM, UIAM and KUIM, and those shipped via scholarships overseas, the numbers and percentage should reflect about 80-85% Bumis, and probably, less than 3.5% Indians, with those from metriculation forming the extreme bulk.

Therefore, competition for the 910 places for medicine in public universities was less intense this year – all 361 STPM (assume all 361 applied for medicine which is not correct) and 549 matriculation students with a CGPA of 4.0 who applied were successful.

Higher Education Management Department director-general Prof Datuk Dr Hassan Said said of the 910 places for medicine, 595 went to students with a CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of 4.0.

“This means that there are 315 students with a CGPA below 4.0 who were offered places for medicine,” said Prof Hassan. However, he could not provide the cut-off point for the course.

Prof Dr. Hassan said even those with CGPA lower than 4.0 managed to secure places for medicine this year. "We have got some with 3.8 and 3.9. We have created more places this year and the number of those with a CGPA of 4.0 is less."

Wow, how accomodating Dr. Hassan has become. Thank you, very, very much, sir!

So, for the first time, over the last two years, we will have those with CGPA of 3.8 studying medicine in public universities. So, hypothetically, if most STPM students scored only with CGPA of 2.5 to 3.0, then Dr. Hassan should be able to include some students with 2.5-3.0 CGPA to read medicine.

Last year, more than half of the record number of 1,774 matriculation and STPM students with a CGPA of 4.0 competed for 779 places. The cut-off point for medicine last year was a CGPA of 4.0 while the year before it was 3.88.

Unlike in previous years, the cut-off points for critical courses this intake were not made available due to technical setbacks. Neither could Prof Hassan give a breakdown of the number of applicants from matriculation and STPM and the success rate of the two groups.

Applications for places in public universities were up by 22.2% – from 85,966 last year to 105,014 – with 64,877 students qualifying for entry.

Lessons Learnt from 128 Students

Lessons Learnt?

November 1, 2004, NST, page 12

NST Report: There were several lessons the authorities had learnt in handling the cases of 128 top students who did not obtain places to study medicine.

Lesson 1: Many students are ambivalent about their career choice.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Shafie Salleh noted that only 30 students accepted the Govt’s offer to study medicine in private universities. The rest of the 98 students were happy to accept second choices and remain in public university. The fees for medical students in private colleges were ONLY about RM300,000 and all those students were offered convertible loans.

Remarks: The only problem was that, the student wanted scholarship, not loans, or as an alternative, the fees should be same as those of public universities, the difference of which, should had been sponsored by the government. The reason were that 960 students who had lesser qualification or at most similar, were given places in public universities and are only required to pay a nominal sum – why should they (as Malaysians too) pay more than the others? Is it that they are UNEQUAL or their parents had elected the wrong government?

Lesson 2: It is unhealthy to admit students into medical faculty based solely on academic performance. It should include other attributes such as critical thinking, problem-solving and interpersonal skills.

Remarks: What about the doctors who uses pen, or pencil or chopstick to diagnose patients? Well, is it that the government don’t think there is anything wrong as pen and pencil has magnetic fields that assist the doctors to do their job better?

Lesson no 3: more and more students are getting the full score of 4.0 CGPA.

If every 4.0 student are going to apply for just medicine, then we can never be able to accommodate all of them, said Datuk Shafie.

Remarks: But, Malaysia has a shortage of more than 3,000 doctors as of today and expected to be worse in 5 years time as reported by Datuk Chua Soi Lek, the Health Minister? Oh, that’s the Health Ministry problem and not Higher Education Ministry. Afterall, most ministers children won’t get 4.0 CGPA (no disrespect to anyone in particular), and as can be seen and witness, Ministers children are clearly distinguished with the others and they only will study overseas, and in Ivy league, and some with scholarships. So, they won’t fight for local U places with those unparallel children. And, it seemed clear that the actions depicts that the Government discourage students to achieve 4.0. Maybe, they prefer stupidity so that they can have better control.

Lesson no 4: Students are not getting enough information on other courses related to medicine. These include dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, radiography, physiotherapy, occupational theraphy, laboratory technology and bio-medical engineering.

Remarks: Well, the problem is not those mentioned above but many students are put into courses that they never wanted such as Japanese studies, Serat Kayu, bubur chacha, longan, etc. You may say, Serat Kayu is important; why not the political masters set an example by putting their children and grandchildren in those courses so that others will follow. Are all the ministers in UMNO, MCA and MIC willing to publish all their children’s record on which University they are in or had graduated from, so as to let the Malaysian view their patriotism (term by some in UMNO as a show of patriotism)?

STUDENT DILEMMA RESOLVED!

33-Dilemma

FINALLY, THE EDUCATION MINISTRY ACTS

At the crux of the issue, Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Shafie Mohd Salleh and his deputy Datuk Fu Ah Kiow finally responded positively to help the 33 students allotted places in private medical colleges.

The Higher Education Ministry has directed four local private colleges to immediately register the 33 STPM top scorers who have been offered places to do medicine even if they do not have the money to make initial payments. Its deputy minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow said the directive was issued last week and it involved 17 students in the International Medical University (IMU), 10 in the Royal Perak Medical College, four in the Allianz College and two in the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology. he “The students must be accepted and the Government is still working out details on the convertible loan for them,” said in an interview here yesterday but did not reveal details of the loan.

In a separate news, it was reported that the 33 top scorers who accepted offers of places in private medical schools need only graduate as doctors to qualify for full scholarships provided by the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN). They will, however, have to serve as government doctors for 10 years – one of which constitutes their housemanship year.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Shafie Mohd Salleh said this “one-off opportunity” should spur the students to do well to earn the convertible loans. Should they fail, drop or change their course, they would have to repay the cost incurred. “We hope that with this, the issue of the 128 students who were initially denied places to study medicine, would be put to rest,” he told reporters after his ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting here yesterday. He added that the Cabinet had decided that the PTPTN would have to allocate RM10mil to finance the 33 students.

Only RM10 million was required and they took so long to respond!

RM620 million for Ting Pek King - it's done in days!

And the solution - is it A SOLUTION just to resolve that 33 students or the Ministry does have a long-term plan to eliminate the problem? Will we have the same problem next year for the next intake? Have the Government drawn up a strategic plan, a long-term plan that will provide a long-term solution to the problem? Or is it a "TINKERING SOLUTION" to a problem now and then think of how to do it again the next time it appears?

I just wonder, how long will it take the Government to understand that they had a system that is malfunctioning and their Ministers behavior and solution making will not solve the national issue - It's DAMAGE CONTROL SYSTEM AT WORK AGAIN!

$24,420 Registration Fees - Where Do I get the Money, Sir?

99 Medi-students Dilemma

"Most of those who rejected the offers wanted a guarantee that their loans would be converted to scholarships," Dr Ishak added.
“How can they have a guarantee when they have not even started the course? If they want to study medicine so much, they should accept the offer and work hard for it to be made a scholarship,” he said.

Dr. Shafie Salleh, the Higher Education Minister said "the students would be offered “convertible loans which would be turned into full scholarship if they did well. Another option would be the National Higher Education Fund Corporation which provides a RM100,000 loan for a 5-year programme."

Datuk, Datuk, Tan Sri, Tan Sri, Datuk Seri, Datuk Seri, "In the mean time, please tell the parents of those students how they are going to get RM24,000 for registration fees as demanded by the private university which you have agreed? Can the Ministers like Datuk Shafie and Ong Ka Ting and Fu Ah Kiow donate the money or pay on behalf of those parents till the convertible loans are disbursed. Do you Ministers know why student choose public university and not private university - do you think the public universities are better than private - NO SIR, it's not; it's the FEES; which is the only reason. I want to sent my son to Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, but I can't afford as we are not politicians who can get projects (if not, ask for "Top-up" in contract price to cover you Ministers)in proxy's name and then sell it off for a multi-million dollars profit."

And Dr. Ishak, "Please pay on behalf of those students. Jangan cakap seperti orang kaya - U ingat $24,000 senang nak cari?
Cakap Tak Serupa Bikin! Pak-Lah, ada komen-ka? Boleh minta SCOMI sponsor?

STPM & ADMISSION STATISTICS PUBLISHED IN NSTP

6th. June 2004, NSTP

What can you figure out from the Statistics?

The NSTP published some statistics of the STPM and Metriculation student results of the various racial composition, student intake by race, and admission in critical courses.

Why are we highlighting the statistical process by races? Is that the way we see things in Malaysia and is that what we want to know?

Wouldn't it be better to publish all the results by grades (or academic performances) and to analyze those selected based on the various criterias? Is 4.0 CGPA in Metriculation equals 4.0 CGPA in STPM and 'A' level? If not, or unsure, why can't the Ministry set only one system? The ministry officials must answer it.

The statistic published is disgusting and may portray an image of mediocracy vs meritocracy!

Your son is doing a "Kayu Degree at USM? What's that????

6th. June 2004, NSTP

What a Name?

"Hi John, I heard your son Hie Leong had excellent results for STPM and he's lucky to secure a place in University Sabah Malaysia. My daughter only has one 'A' and three 'Bs' and I have to sent her to private university," groaned Mrs Ana Ling.

"Yea, Ana. But he told me he had applied for mechanical engineering degree and he doesn't understand what is Serat Kayu - something related to wood, I presumed," replied John.

"John, why don't you talk to someone from the education department & find out. Maybe you can also find out from some academician friends. Anyway, he is considered lucky to have a place in public university. I have to find the money to sent my daughter to private university and you know-lah, it's very expensive!"

"I understand. But .... it's a KAYU DEGREE! I only hope he will not end up becoming a KAYU in Sabah."

(The story is a fiction and the names are fictitious and unrelated to anyone)

WHAT!!! NOT THE CREAM OF THE CROP?

2nd. June 2004, NSTP

DEAR MINISTER, PLEASE FIND BETTER EXCUSE FOR YOUR SYSTEM FAILURE.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Shafie Salleh said unsuccessful students were not offered places to study medicine in public universities may not have been the cream of the crop. They may have achieve A- in subjects such as Physic, Chemistry & Biology. He said the Ministry was practising meritocracy and took into consideration racial unity when placing students of various races in public university. He remind Malaysians that the tuiton fees at private medical institution as $256,772 and public university is only $9,800 only.

What a load of shit from a Minister who had been an academician himself.

Do you mean getting A- is not good enough to pursue medicine? The criteria set by the Ministry was 4.0 CGPA. Please ask the many doctors in practice whether they have a 4.0 CGPA and A- for all the science subjects.

Where and when did the Government and the Ministry of Education prequalified that the aspiring students must score A+ & with CGPA of 4.0, in order to be admitted to public medical college/university?

How is it that many existing specialist and doctors who did not have the said criteria before, are now qualified doctor and specialist, and many of them are widely recognized & reknown for their skills and competencies?

Is there no other excuses for the cause of the failure of the system that had failed to generate and develop the necessary national human capital; that of providing sufficient doctors and other specialist as required for the hospitals?

I wonder if Datuk Shafie would let us know how his children have fared in their SPM and STPM, and where are they being educated - Is it overseas and at Ivy League Universities and who pays for it?

What is the purpose of the Higher Education Minister in highlighting the tuition fees differentials between public and private universities? Is he trying to say that he is doing a favor for Malaysians; those who cannot afford the fees for private medical colleges?

Instead of finding solutions to the problems and seeking a strategic long-term and medium-term plan to ensure that the health Ministry are provided with the crops of doctors, specialists, nurses, etc, and to ensure that we have the required medical specialist and doctors to manned the hospitals in the years to come, here we have a Minister who is more concern to find an excuse for his failure and the system mulfunctions.

What type of Ministers do we have and why has Pak-Lah chosen a stupid and banal person to be the Minister of Higher Education?

NATIONAL POLICIES THE CAUSE OF SYSTEMIC FAILURE

The recent grouse and widely published frustrating issues of the 128 students (who failed to get places to study medicine despite having achieved the required entry qualification criteria)confirms that the national system has not been right all along and had constantly and continuously being inefficient and ineffective to provide solutions to our national needs; yet, the Government had proceeded to implement those policies and procedures without any attempt to review or restructure the on-going-national program which are been tuned in a failure mode.

It is clear that the Government and the civil servants appointed to manned the strategic planning and implementation unit have never attempted to seek a long-term strategic solution to ensure a sustainable development programmes that would harness the human capital needed by the Governmental system to meet the needs and of the burgeoning population.

According to Datuk Chua Soi Lek, the Health Minister, Malaysia is currently facing an acute shortage of 5,000 nurses, 3,300 doctors, 700 medical specialists, 600 pharmacists and 500 dentists. Before Datuk Chua Soi Lek, we have Datuk Jimmy Chua who had made the similar complain of the shortages; and we can further trace back to the decades of similar problems. Yet, till today, we are repeating the same lingo and hearing the same old songs of despair.

In Malaysia, we now have 11 public universities as compared to only 4 universities in the 80s. Coupled with it is the availability of many private universities and colleges that had mushroom over the last few years. Yet the combined public universities intake for medical students for 2004 is a mere 779 students only. To include another 128 will totalled only 907 potential doctors/parmacists/dentists that will only be qualified to practice in 10 years time.

According to the Health Minister, it would be ideal if there was an increase of 1,000 doctors annually and that there is one doctor for every 650 people by 2015. The current ratio is one to 1,420 people.

With the statement from the Ministry of Health, the intake of medical students is far-off to meet the requirements. We can conclude that by 2015, we will still be having the same problem and it would be far more acute and critical.

Does it seem clear that the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health are having policies and programmes that do not work in congruent with each other; that those national programmes are the cause of the continuous systemic failure? Yet we find the Ministers and Prime Ministers playing to the tune of the press and coming up with "Tinkering" solutions to the problem - NOT LONG-TERM STRATEGIC PLAN.

In the same light, we read today in the news of a complain by a lawyer in a murder trial that the case will only come up for hearing in 2007, and the suspect will be placed in the jail/detention pending hearing till 2007. The reason given by the presiding judge is that his calender is full of cases until 2007; that is, there is a gross acute shortage of judges to effectively operate the judicial system and there is currently no solutions to the problem of the courts.

If the Government is willing to publish the survey reports on all the various other service departments, we will be hearing more of the problems of shortages.

IT IS A SYSTEMIC FAILURE!!! THE ABOVE DOES CONCLUDE THAT WE HAVE AN INEFFICIENT & INEFFECTIVE NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING AND INPLEMENTATION UNITS AND THAT THE VARIOUS MINISTRIES HAVE PROGRAMMES THAT ENSURE FAILURES WILL SUCCEED.

WE NEED A TOTAL OVERHAUL OF THE SYSTEM not just 'TINKERING' with a problem. OUR CURRENT SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM BREEDS MANY NEW AND MORE ACUTE PROBLEMS. DOES THE GOVERNMENT HAVE THE GUTS TO PURGE THE INCOMPETENTS AND REVAMP THE SYSTEM OR DO WE PRAY TO GOD TO SEEK THE SOLUTION?

"GOD HELP THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES!"