FORM SIX, MATRICULATION UNDER MOHE TO BOOST STUDENTS’ READINESS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 (Bernama) -- With the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) now taking over the pre-university system, including Form Six and matriculation, students are set to benefit from a more structured transition into higher education.

Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) vice-chancellor Professor Ir Dr Khairul Salleh Mohamed Sahari said the move marked an important step forward, as it would expose students to university assessment methods, including the cumulative grade point average (CGPA).

“Students do not use CGPA at the school level, but it is introduced in matriculation and STPM (Form Six), in line with assessment methods at higher education institutions,” he said when appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s Malaysia Petang Ini programme today.

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Khairul Salleh said that countries adopting the K-12 system require students to undergo 12 years of formal primary and secondary education prior to entering higher education.

He said that in Malaysia, students typically complete 11 years of school education before taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, with the 12th year completed via Form Six, matriculation, or equivalent streams such as A-Levels and university foundation programmes.

According to Khairul Salleh, coordinating pre-university education under a single ministry would allow improvements in governance, curriculum, and teaching quality to be implemented in an integrated manner.

“With this coordination, we can strengthen the pre-university pathway to ensure that students entering university are fully prepared academically and in their learning methods,” he said.

Yesterday, during the launch of the Malaysian Higher Education Blueprint (RPTM) 2026-2035, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the MOHE would fully take over the pre-university education system, including Form Six and matriculation, starting this year.

He said the move will officially place both groups of students under the higher education category.

Meanwhile, social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, in a statement, said the National Education Blueprint 2026-2035 presented a valuable opportunity to strengthen the country’s education system and was timely in shaping the nation’s future through education.

“The success of this plan should not be measured solely by its ambitions, but by the extent to which it delivers quality, inclusive, and equitable education to all Malaysian children, irrespective of their socio-economic background or geographical location.

“Efforts to bridge the urban-rural divide, strengthen basic literacy and numeracy, improve English proficiency, and ensure the curriculum remains relevant in the era of digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and climate change are priorities that cannot be compromised,” he said.

In addition, Lee said that continued investment in teachers’ professional development, easing of unnecessary administrative workloads, and safeguarding their welfare were crucial to improving learning quality.

He also stressed that schools must provide safe, inclusive, and bullying-free environments, while focusing on students’ mental health, character development, and civic responsibility

-- BERNAMA