Fighting Social Disparity with Education

Education inequality is an ongoing issue in Malaysia. Not every Malaysian is given the opportunity to further their tertiary education, especially when they come from low income families.

Students from the B40 income group should be provided with a well-resourced infrastructure when it comes to education to improve their future living standards.

Therefore, with the establishment of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), the government was hoping that it could provide aid for students from rural areas and low-income families to pursue their studies.

Hence, Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) was founded in 1972, providing educational institutes for Bumiputera students who have the potential to excel in science and technology.

MARA built numerous MRSM campuses for students across the nation and they are usually located in the rural areas.

Over the years, the quota for students applying to MRSM has risen as they seek to get a place to have a better future. However, the applications received are way too high compared to the quota provided.

Form 1 students may apply for MRSM as they are just entering their high school years and it also serves as a boarding school. For Form 4 students, they may apply to MRSM with their PT3 results if they want to continue their studies in the science stream.

The chart shows the number of students enrolled in this junior college with leeway given to students coming from rural areas and low-income families.

MARA was seen to have strayed away from its original objectives as students from the high-income group were accepted into MRSM.

With the limited quota, several students from the B40 income group were sidelined as other well-off students took their spots in MRSM.