Ministry explains race column in varsity application forms
By Kang Soon Chen, The Star
SEPANG: The sub-categories under the “race” column in the Universities’ Admissions Unit’s (UPU) online application forms are for authorities to check the applicants’ personal data with the National Registration Department (NRD).
The Higher Education Ministry was responding yesterday to an online news report on Friday which quoted former Perak Bar Council chief M. Mathialagan as saying the sub-divisions under the “race” column in the forms made a mockery of Prime Minister’s Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak‘s 1Malaysia concept to unite all races.
The application form was available at the UPU website http://upu.mohe.gov.my and applicants were required to fill up the “race” column and indicate their sub-race or dialect group under the sub-divisions column.
Applications had closed on April 4.
For example, under the Indian category, there are eight sub-divisions: Malayalee, Punjabi, Sikh, Tamil, Telegu, Malabari, Indian Muslim and Orissa.
Malays are sub-divided into Bugis, Boyan, Banjar, Jawa, Jawi Pekan and Minangkabau.
The Chinese, meanwhile, are sub-divided into Cantonese, Foochow, Hainanese, Henghua, Hokchia, Hokchiu, Hokkien, Khek (Hakka), Kwongsai, Teochew, Kongfoo and Hylam while the sub-divisions for the Orang Asli include Negrito, Semai, Semalai, Temiar, Senoi and Penan.
“The information is required because the ministry needs to tally it with the data at the NRD to check their citizenship status when processing the applications,” said Higher Education Ministry management of student admission division principal assistant director Rosmin Md. Amin.
She said the sub-divisions had been in place for several years and was not introduced this year, as alleged by Mathialagan.
Earlier, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin launched the National e-Learning Policy, e-learning books and Malaysia Education Online (MEdO), an online portal for all e-learning courses offered by institutions of higher learning (IPT) in Malaysia.
He said the ministry hoped to have the IPTs infuse 30% of their teaching and learning approaches with e-learning by 2015.
Asia e-University was selected as the “gateway university” for students to enrol in e-learning and distance learning courses.
There are 21 e-learning programmes currently available at MEdO.
