MOE ASSURES NO STUDENT DATA LEFT OUT FOR UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Education (MOE) has assured that data from public and private school students, including scores from the Physical Activity, Sports and Co-Curriculum Assessment (PAJSK) scores, will not be overlooked, particularly for university admissions.

Minister Fadhlina Sidek said that although there were issues, the MOE had taken follow-up action and was committed to ensuring that all students’ PAJSK scores would be accounted for and none would be excluded.

She said that at the same time, the MOE is working on improving the system for collecting and distributing PAJSK scores of private school students, including those from schools not under the ministry.

“This initiative will improve the method of collecting and distributing PAJSK scores for students from private and non-MOE schools by providing them with the same access (system) as schools under the ministry.

“In addition, the MOE has worked with the Ministry of Higher Education to coordinate PAJSK score data so that this issue will not arise in the future,” she said during the Minister’s Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat here today.

She said this in response to a question from Wan Razali Wan Nor (PN-Kuantan) about whether PAJSK procedures differ for schools not under the MOE, in light of issues where Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) graduates failed to secure places in their first-choice universities due to zero PAJSK scores.

According to Fadhlina, PAJSK scores from schools not under the MoE must be submitted offline using  a standard template provided by the ministry.

She said the scores will then be forwarded to the Public Higher Education Institutions (IPTA) Student Admission Division for university admission purposes.

In response to Wan Razali’s supplementary question about IPTA admissions through UPUonline, Fadhlina said that so far, 4,710 SPM candidates have received offers to study at public universities, with 954 of them successfully securing their first-choice universities.

“A total of 2,838 candidates will be listed for IPTA placement appeals based on merit, which includes 10 per cent for PAJSK scores,” she said.

-- BERNAMA