KUALA LUMPUR – When Ms Veronica’s daughter scored 10 As in her school-leaving exam, the family was confident she would secure a coveted place in Malaysia’s public pre-university course, known as the matriculation programme.

This was because Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had publicly assured on June 30, 2024, that all students who score 10 As – typically defined as a mix of A-plus, A and A-minus grades – in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exams would be guaranteed a spot in the programme, regardless of race.

The SPM exam is equivalent to Singapore’s O levels.

The matriculation programme, which is akin to pre-university education here, takes one or two years to complete.

The latter is a public education route that is much highly sought after, as those on it are guaranteed places in Malaysia’s public universities, making it a cheaper option than private local colleges.

As a reference, the cost to study computer science at a public university can cost about RM10,200 (S$3,111) per course, while the cost of attending a local private tertiary institution starts from approximately RM62,000 for the entire course.

Ms Veronica’s 17-year-old daughter scored A-plus grades in six subjects, A in two subjects, and A-minus in another two, and got a near-perfect merit score of 99.46 out of 100 for her academic achievements and co-curricular activities.

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But when the placement results were released in May, she was unexpectedly left out.

“We genuinely had high hopes of her getting into the matriculation programme. We believed she had a fair chance, so when she wasn’t offered a spot, it was a real disappointment for our family,” said Ms Veronica, a government servant who declined to use her full name for fear of repercussions.

“It’s deeply disheartening and frustrating. We understand there are limited places, but when near-perfect students are rejected with no clear explanation, it raises serious questions about fairness,” she said, adding that her daughter’s friend was similarly disappointed despite scoring even better grades.

Datuk Seri Anwar’s 2024 announcement had been lauded as a bold step towards meritocracy and raised hopes among students, in a system where 90 per cent of the available slots in matriculation colleges are reserved for bumiputeras – categorised as Malays and other indigenous ethnic groups.

But with a limited 30,000 spots available per intake and a longstanding racial quota, the latest disappointment faced in matriculation placements has reignited debate over fairness, meritocracy and the need for reform in Malaysia’s post-secondary education system.

It was also revealed in an April 30 circular by the Education Ministry that an A-minus grade will no longer be considered an A grade under revised matriculation entry requirements.

As a result, students must attain A and A-plus grades to get the straight As required for admission to the matriculation programme. The change was later confirmed by Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh via a Facebook post on May 9.

The policy shift has drawn the ire of hundreds of high SPM scorers, who got their results on April 24, many of whom would have qualified as having scored 10 As under previous grading interpretation.

The youth wing of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), which is part of the ruling unity government, said that more than 400 students have sought its assistance over the matter.

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On June 4, the party submitted an official appeal, including academic transcripts, to the Education Ministry for the students to secure matriculation spots.

MCA Youth central committee member Ong Chee Siang said the grade classification was unfair and came without any warning.

“The government should have announced this earlier, at least three to five months before they took the SPM exams,” he said.

He also noted some inconsistencies, highlighting a case where twin sisters had both scored nine As and one A-minus for their SPM results and had nearly identical co-curricular points. One received a placement in the matriculation programme, while the other did not.

“If two students have similar SPM results but only one secures a spot in matriculation, something isn’t right,” Mr Ong said. He added that a 2009 circular had classified A-minus as part of the A range.