KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Malaysians who completed their secondary school education and scored 10As and above in this year’s Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) have been promised a spot in the government’s matriculation programme.

The guarantee was from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who said it is to alleviate racial tensions as previously there was a quota for non-Bumiputera students to join the programme, which was set at 10 per cent.

Here’s why it was such a big deal.

The one-year one-year matriculation is the fastest route to enter university compared to one-and-a-half-year Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) programme.

The shorter waiting time makes it a more desirable option for non-Bumiputera students wishing to pursue their studies so they can join the workforce earlier and make money.

The entry requirements for matriculation are easier for post-SPM students depending on which field of study they want to join:

• Science major: a minimum of five Cs out of seven subjects for the one-year programme
• Engineering major: a minimum of five Cs out of eight subjects
• Accounting major: a minimum of six Cs out of seven subjects

The professional accounting major has a higher entry requirement of a minimum of five As from eight subjects.

Anwar also said that the 90 per cent Bumiputera quota governing all 17 matriculation colleges nationwide will remain unchanged.

The Bumiputera population does not yet make up 90 per cent of Malaysia; government statistics show that the dominant group about 70 per cent of the total population.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia reported that in the first quarter of 2024, the Malays and other Bumiputera groups made up 57.9 per cent and 12.2 per cent of the population respectively.

The ethnic Chinese made up 22.6 per cent and the ethnic Indians made up 6.6 per cent of Malaysia’s population.