Matriculation Recognition Overseas

Before we take a cynical crack at the latest proposal by the MOE to obtain overseas recognition for our matriculation programs, let's try to see the positive side of things.

Firstly, this might increase the standard of our matriculation program, especially if it seeks recognition from top universities in the UK, US, Australia, Canada and NZ. I'm not sure what the procedure for getting recognition is like but I'm guessing that it's probably easier in the UK than the US since there's a more standard application procedure in the former (UCAS, a central clearing system, in the UK versus individual university applications in the US). It seems like that's the initial route given that "Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar said only some renowned universities in Britain accepted this qualification". What he did not specify (or at least wasn't reported) was which renowned universities, specifically, accepted our matriculation program as a pre-university qualification. Is it Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial or the LSE?

The fact that Noh Omar, Deputy Minister for Education, said the ministry's "aim was to have the matriculation qualification at par with that of A-level" is a timely acknowledgement that the current standards are not internationally competitive and more needs to be done to improve the curent standards.

We hope that the process is stringent enough such that improvements can be made to the matriculation program (to make it as thorough as STPM, for example) to make it internationally recognized. What we hope won't happen is for the Malaysian government to "buy" this recognition from certain universities (including the Irish International University) by promising them funds or funded students. Let's keep watch on which universities offer to recognize the matriculation program and we can make an educated guess to see if this recognition has been "bought".

Secondly, it might be a way for reasonably qualified matriculation students to gain access to a good foreign university, as an alternative to going to a local university. Most people might be sceptical of the thought that there is the possibility that some matriculation students can "make it" to a decent foreign university - "If there were that good, wouldn't they have been offered scholarships to go abroad already?". There are many reasons why there might be a handful of good matriculation students - late bloomers, accidentally missed the boat on earlier scholarship offers, etc... If they are good enough, I don't see why they cannot be offered the chance to study in a reputable foreign university.

The only worry I have regarding the efforts that are currently being expended on the matriculation program is that it will take away resources from the STPM program. It seems increasingly ludicrous to have two separate education programs for essentially the same thing - admissions into the local university system. So while this emphasis on the matriculation program is welcomed, we also need to ask - "what's happening to the STPM program?"