Malaysia’s Higher Education Ministry has reaffirmed that the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) remains the fundamental requirement for admission into public universities despite criticism from certain groups.
Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said the decision had already been finalised by the Cabinet and would continue to serve as the main basis for student admissions into public higher education institutions through the UPU Online system.
“As long as I am the minister, I will not allow entry into higher education without the foundation of SPM,” he said during a press conference after officiating the Higher Education Outreach Programme @ Terengganu and the MADANI Adopted Village Programme at SMK Menerong on Tuesday.
He stressed that regardless of a student’s educational background, SPM remains compulsory for entry through the UPU system.
According to Zambry, the UPU Online platform was developed based on a standardised assessment system to ensure all students are evaluated fairly using SPM results.
He added that the government would not open public university admissions based on alternative certificates or qualifications other than SPM as the core requirement.
At the same time, the minister rejected claims that the policy discriminates against students from religious schools or pondok institutions.
He said students from all educational streams are encouraged to sit for the SPM examination to qualify for higher education opportunities.
“We are not discriminating against them because students from pondok and religious schools are also encouraged to take SPM to further their studies at public universities,” he said.
Zambry also stressed that the government would not bow to pressure from any party seeking to change the admission criteria for their own interests.
“If they want us to change the system for their interests, no way. They must adapt to our education system,” he said.
Recently, the government announced that students from outside the national education system — including international school graduates, Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) holders, tahfiz students and private religious school students — are now allowed to apply to public universities through the UPUOnline system for selected courses.
However, applicants are still required to pass Bahasa Melayu and History subjects at the SPM level, with the government clarifying that it is only opening access pathways and not recognising alternative education systems such as the UEC.
