Malaysia relaxes rules on university entry

THE RURAL poor in Malaysia are expected to be the main beneficiaries of the relaxation of entry requirements to local universities.

About 40 per cent of school leavers could go to university following the decision, compared to the present 29 per cent. The annual intake at local universities is expected to rise to 20,000 by the year 2000.

Education minister Najib Tun Razak said that relaxing entry requirements when the number of student applications was rising would not cause overcrowding on campuses. "While such constraints may be the case in the short term, the problem would not be prolonged," he said.

University entrance "would no longer be based solely on examination results", but would also emphasise such factors as leadership qualities, general knowledge and ability, he said.

The government was very concerned about the poor academic performance of rural children and the widening of the gap between rural and urban pupils, added Mr Najib.