“Students affected by USM glitch should be placed in local universities”

KUALA LUMPUR, 2 June 2009: Students affected by University Science Malaysia (USM)’s technical glitch should be given equal opportunities for a place in the local public universities, said Wanita MCA.

Wanita MCA chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said students who only applied for a place in USM should also be given an opportunity in other universities if they fulfilled the enrolment criteria for admission.

She was commenting on the statement made by Higher Education Department Director General Datuk Prof Radin Umar Radin Sohadi, that students who only applied for a place in USM, but not to the University Admission Unit, would not have the opportunity to enrol in other universities.

Chew said in a statement that the USM’s online glitch had created fear among the students and had no doubt “hurt them physically and emotionally.”

“The Higher Education Ministry cannot afford to resort to the old ways in handling the issue. On the other hand, the ministry concerned and USM should take into consideration the hurt and anguish that the affected students and families are going through,” she said.

Yesterday, USM said it had notified applicants who were successful via the short-messaging-system (SMS) and was now awaiting their acceptance of the courses offered.

They were also preparing the final list of successful applicants before submitting a report on successful and non-successful candidates to the ministry’s universities entrance management division.

The confusion arose when USM mistakenly listed 8,173 candidates on the website on 29 May as successful, when the actual number was only 3,599.

USM rectified the mistake on 30 May, but some 100 applicants together with their parents came to USM’s campus in Penang on 31 May to seek clarification on the matter. — Bernama