SHAH ALAM - Senator Datuk C Sivaraj has called for increased intake of Indian students in Matriculation programme from 3.72 per cent to at least 6 per cent starting this year.
He said he was informed that the government's decision on student intake for the Matriculation Programme was subject to a 90 per cent Bumiputera quota and a 10 per cent quota for non-Bumiputera students.
"The 10 per cent quota for non-Bumiputera student intake is further divided into 5.43 per cent for Chinese students, 3.72 per cent for Indian students, and 0.85 percent for others," he said in a statement.
From 2018 to 2023, Sivaraj said a total of 30,000 placements were offered for the Matriculation Programme.
"On average, this means that only around 1,116 placements were offered to Indian students over the span of 5 years.
"This number is significantly lower compared to the placement opportunities provided to Indian students prior to 2018," said the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra) committee member.
He further said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had also acknowledged that the Indian community is among the poorest in the country,
"I believe this is in line with the Prime Minister's commitment to empower the socio-economic status of the Indian community in the long term, considering that the Matriculation Programme plays a crucial role as a major feeder for students to fast track their undergraduate studies," he said.
He further said that he is confident that the government's action to enhance the intake ratio for Indian students for Matriculation will directly contribute to a more comprehensive socio-economic development of the Indian community.