SPM top Indian students segregation Memo to PM (15/6/2010). Abolish STPM. One Matriculation for One Malaysia. RM10 Billion scholarships and RM10 Billion loans for all One Malaysians.

HUMAN RIGHTS PARTY MALAYSIA
NO.6, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar, 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03-2282 5241 Fax: 03-2282 5245 Website: www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com
Your Reference     :
In Reply                 :
Date                        : 15^th June 2010
YAB. Dato’ Seri Najib Razak
Prime Minister of Malaysia,
Blok Utama Bangunan Perdana Putra,                              BY HAND
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan,                          Fax: 03-88883973
62502 Putrajaya                                            E-Mail: najib@pmo.gov.my

REF: 1)       ABOLISH STPM, CREATE ONE PRE-UNIVERSITY EXAM
                   FOR ALL IN ONE MALAYSIA
2)       STOP RACE BASED HIGHER EDUCATION ENTRANCE 
CRITERIA. PRACTICE NEEDS BASED CRITERIA
3)       SCHOLARSHIPS, MATRICULATION AND 
UNIVERSITY PLACES FOR ALL AND NOT EXCLUDING POOR INDIAN STUDENTS SCORING 7As’ AND ABOVE IN SPM
4)       PTPTN LOANS FOR ALL OTHER ESPECIALLY POOR MALAYSIAN INDIAN STUDENTS.
_____________________________________________________________
With reference to the above matter we are writing to your goodself to abolish the pre University STPM and create a one pre-university examination for all Malaysian students so that the higher education opportunities are given out fairly to all deserving students especially so as not to exclude the Indian poor.
2. As it is education, which is the responsibility of the federal government (and similarly by any other government in any other part of the world), it is not fair because it is race, supremacy and segregation based as opposed to what should rightly be needs based. Through one Google or Wikipedia search the whole world would know that our education system is not fair. How can it be fair when we have different pre-university programmes? Many qualified poor Malaysian Indian students have been denied their basic rights to higher education in contravention of Article 8 (Equality before the law and Article 12 (no discrimination in higher educational institutions entry financed by the government) of the Federal Constitution. They have to go through the tougher path of STPM without any guarantee of securing a place in the Universities. They are growing up with inequality and injustices in every corner of their lives. How then do they become a part of One Malaysia?
3. Whereas almost all Malay Muslim students opt for the matriculation programmes. Almost all of the over 40,0000 places in the eleven Matriculation colleges nationwide are reserved for malay muslim students in the 10 month course as opposed to the two year STPM course (Wikipedia). This has become a source of contention because matriculation students, who will enter university one over year earlier compared with their STPM peers, are considered on equal standing with STPM only in Malaysia for the purpose of university admission though it is significantly easier than STPM with a streamed down Form 6 syllabus.
4. Not all applicants for matriculation are admitted and the selection criteria have never been made public which has led to the perception that the entry has not been fair. The matriculation programme is not as rigorous as the STPM. The matriculation programme has come under some criticism as it is the general consensus that this programme is much easier than the sixth form programme leading to the STPM and serves to help malay muslim students enter the public university easily. Having been introduced after the supposed abolishment of racial quota based admission into local public Universities, the matriculation programme continues the role of its predecessor, albeit in a modified form. It is considered easier because in the matriculation programme the teachers set and mark the final exams that their students sit for whereas in the STPM the final exam is standardised and exam papers are exchanged between schools in different states to ensure unbiased marking. Also, the matriculation programme adopts a semester basis examination (2 semesters in the programme) whilst STPM involves only one final examination, covering all 2 years’ syllabus in one go. The scope and depth of the syllabus in matriculation is also lesser to that of STPM. The disparity between the programmes does not end there, for it is a known fact that in critical courses offered by local public universities (such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Law), almost 70% of the students comprise matriculation students. On the contrary, STPM students form the majority in courses which are less in demand, such as a Bachelor in Science. Defenders of the matriculation programme have described the two programmes as distinct and different, drawing the analogy of an apple and an orange. However, having served the same purpose (i.e. as an entrance requirement to Universities), we criticize the matriculation programme as a blatant practice of double standards.
5. For the year 2010, RM 2.44 Billion worth of JPA scholarships has been allocated for the 1,500 overseas University scholarships and 10,500 local University scholarships. Also in 2010 7,987 students scored all As’ in SPM, 214 scored all A+ (NST 13/6/2010 at page 20). Based on the above figures each and every student having scored 7As’ and above should have been granted scholarships for either overseas or local higher education. But scores of top and high achieving especially poor Indian students including some with 13A’s have complained to us that they have been denied the aforesaid higher educational opportunities and scholarships in JPA, Mara, Petronas, PNB, Khazanah, TNB, TMB, Sime Darby, Shell etc. Why is this so in One Malay-sia?
An initial list of 36 7As’ to 13As’ students rejected of the above is as per Enclosure 1 herein.
6. Our estimate is a mere 0.1% to 1% of these 12,000 and other scholarships  public University and matriculation places are granted to especially the poor and underprivileged Indian students.
7. The following is a fact – bright Indian students are systematically denied their entitlements for Government Scholarships, for admission to Public Universities especially in critical courses and for the Matriculation programme and this is becoming a more serious problem as more Indian students begin to excel academically as has been highlighted by HRP in the past few weeks.
8. Our sincere question is why does the Government not become transparent about the selection process? Why do we need double standards in 1 Malaysia? Why hasn’t the public Universities and scholarship list and it’s selection criteria not been made transparent and public?
9. This has become the very same recurring and repeating problem year in and year out in over the last 53 years since independence from Britian and we hereby call for an end to this race segregation and supremacist based higher education policy.
10. We hereby call for the end to this race segregationist and supremacist based higher education policy and for the implementation of needs based higher education policy where all the poor Indian, Orang asli, Kadazan, Iban, Malay and Chinese students are given in the right to equal access to higher education.
To this effect we propose that from the RM 191.5 Billion 2010 Budget an allocation is made for a total RM 10 Billion to cater for all the aforesaid proposed scholarships so that all students in particular the poor Indian students scoring 7As’ and above in SPM are granted scholarships in Higher Educational Institutions in the courses of their choice either in foreign Universities, local private Universities or the local public Universities in their order of excellence. And a further RM 10 Billion to cater for all the aforesaid proposed PTPTN government study loans so that all students in particular the poor Indian students would be granted loans in Higher Education Institutions in the courses of their choice in the local public or private Institutions of Higher Learning and not limited to the Ivy League of Universities. This way every citizen irrespective of their ethnic origin gets a fair place under the One Malaysian Sun.
We regret to note that unlike for the Gaza Flotalia issue both sides of the political divide ie the ruling Barisan Nasional and PKR, DAP and PAS did not jointly and amicably debate in a Special Motion this 53 year long outstanding Higher Education Policy problem affecting especially the poor Malaysian Indian students being denied equal higher educational opportunities.
Also regretted is to date there has been no Emergency or other Motions on this matter by even the opposition PKR, DAP and PAS as almost all the victims are “merely” the poor Indians.
Abolish STPM, create One pre-university for One Malaysia!
Kindly revert to us accordingly.
We hereby call upon the Prime Minister of Malaysia to also form a Royal Commission of Inquiry with the view to end this 53 year old race  segregationist and supremacist based higher education policy in Malaysia.
Thank you.
Your faithfully,
_______________
P.Uthayakumar
Secretary General (pro tem)
Note: The list of top and high achieving students that we have received to date is enclosed herewith as per Enclosure 2 together with the 10,000 signature petition calling for “Hindraf & Human Rights party (HRP) Petition to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak demanding equal rights in JPA scholarships overseas & locally, Matriculation and University places especially in critical courses for all, in particular Indian students with 7A’s above in SPM. Also a Royal Commission of Enquiry to stop future such racially discriminatory, segregationist and supremacist practices by UMNO/BN” as per Enclosure 3 herein.
c.c     1)       Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim
                   Opposition Leader of Parliament,
                   A-1-09, Merchant Square,                   Fax : 78850531
                   No. 1, Jalan Tropicana Selatan 1         By Hand
                   47410 P.J
2)                 Lim Kit Siang
Adviser DAP
No. 24, Jalan 20/9,                    Fax : 03-79575718
Paramount Garden                    By Hand
46300 P.J
3)                 Dato Seri Hadi Awang
President PAS                          Fax: 03-26938399
318A, Jalan Raja Laut,               By Hand
50350 Kuala Lumpur