Misperception on Form Six, says Dept
Published on: Friday, September 14, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Many are still unaware that Form Six has been rebranded as Pre-U Centre, said State Education Director Datuk Hajah Maimunah Haji Suhaibul.She said there is also still stigma in the community that the Pre-U Centre is the last option for further study for those who did not excel in the SPM exam and those not accepted into matriculation programme and for diploma-level courses in universities."Discouraging remarks that the Pre-U Centre undergraduates are 'low class' still can be heard, which is unfair. Time has come for all these to be changed," she said, when opening the Roundtable Discussion 'Hebat Diri Melonjak Identiti (HDMI) 2018 organised by the Sabah Women Advisory Council (MPWS) Education Committee at Wisma Wanita here Thursday.
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Her speech was read by State Education Department head of school administration Zaini Yamin. Maimunah said there are two main pre-university channels to enter into higher learning institutions - matriculation and STPM via the Pre-U Centres. The previous Higher Learning Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Mary Yap had announced in the Parliament in April, 2014, that both programmes (matriculation and Form Six) are based on the same curriculum, she said, adding that was supported by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in his statement stating that STPM is equivalent to matriculation and diploma as a requirement for further study at tertiary level in the public higher learning institutions. "Ironically, there are still perception among some who look down on the Pre-U Centres, or previously known as Form Six, compared to matriculation and diploma," she said.
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Maimunah welcomed the noble effort by MPWS through its Education Committee to focus on balancing the status between undergraduates of Pre-U Centre and those of matriculation and diploma through such activity, the third so far. She said such programme is meaningful and give high impact in dealing with the community's perception.
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"We will always give cooperation on matters that can help improve the existing programmes so they remain relevant to the global education development mainstream," she said. She also hopes that there will be more learning modules that can help expose the undergraduates in the country to industrial revolution 4.0 which is more of virtual reality, based on robotic and digital applications, in future. Zaini said there are two Pre-U Centres in Sabah, one here and another in the East Coast, with the third is the pipeline. MPWS Chairwoman Datuk Dr Hajah Tarsiah TZ Taman, said that day's roundtable discussion is focused on the direction for the Pre-U Centre after the rebranding, and debating on the marketability and employability of Pre-U undergraduates and graduates after spending two years in Pre-U Centre. "We believe that with the significant number of Pre-U graduates, it is timely and relevant that we discuss where they will be after they finished Pre-U," she said. "The public perception is definitely that the Pre-U graduates will end up in the university. But is this truly happening, as had been planned and realised at the implementing programme level? MPWS, under our Education Committee, really take this issue seriously because seldom we hear Pre-U being talked about as one of prime mainstream agendas despite the number of Pre-U graduates is considered more significant if compared to those in the matriculation programme," she said. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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