The fiasco of 4,574 students being wrongly informed that they had obtained places at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) cannot be a worse start for USM as the Apex University – a bungle and blunder which should not have happened at all and completely inexcusable.
In keeping with its status as an Apex University, USM was for the first time exercising the freedom to choose the best students before the University Admission Unit’s (UPU) selection of students for the other public universities.
But the USM chancellory yesterday was the venue for emotional havoc for hundreds of students and their parents when they found that they had been wrongly informed about being accepted as students in USM, with lost tempers and heart-rending scenes of tears and frustration.
Acting USM Vice Chancellor Prof Ahmad Shukri Mustapha Kamal explained to DAP Penang State Assemblyman for Komtar and Political Secretary to Penang Chief Minister, Ng Wei Aik and me at the USM Chancellory yesterday how the error where 4,574 students were wrongly informed that they had been offered places in USM came about.
Apologising profusely, Ahmad Shukri said out of over 22,000 who applied for places in USM, 8,173 were pre-qualified, out of which 3,599 were offered places.
The mistake occurred as USM was working under time pressure to submit the list of successful applicants to UPU for it to start the process of selecting students for the other universities.
The 3,599 successful students were informed by SMS, web, phone and letter. There was no problem with the 3,599 SMS but the USM wrongly uploaded the names of all the 8,173 pre-qualified students on its website as successful students.
I promised when I met the disappointed students and their parents at the USM Chancellery yesterday that I will contact the Higher Education Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Khaled Nordin and Higher Education Department director-general Datuk Prof Radin Umar Radin Sohadi in Kuala Lumpur today.
I could not contact Khaled Nordin as the Minister is overseas. I spoke to Prof Radin and conveyed to him the scene of emotional havoc at the USM chancellory yesterday.
I told him that Ahmad Shukri has agreed to send to UPU the list of the 4,574 students who had been victimized by the USM blunder and bungle and urged on him to give particular attention to the list of 4,574 pre-qualified by USM to ensure that they will not be victimized a second time by the university selection system.
Prof Radin said the results of the UPU selection of students for all the other public universities would be announced on June 19, where some 40,000 would be selected for places out of some 60,000 pre-qualified students.
I call on Khaled Nordin as Higher Education Minister and all the other Cabinet Ministers to ensure that new university intake by UPU to be announced on June 19 provide places for the 4,574 student-victims of the USM Apex University fiasco.
YB LKS,
good that u made this point, so that the intake to higher learning institute wil be more tranperent and the ministry could be more accountable…
but w would like to know more..
could u to ask all the pakatan rakyat state governments to annouce follows also:-
1) how much the foreign direct investments brought in by new administration todate since last ge?
2) how much job created in private sectors, including executive and non executive positions?
3) how much the increased in per capita income in all 5 states?
4) we also want to know whether the growth rate or recession rate greater / smaller than national average?
5) what is the economic blueprint for all particular states to overcome economic slowdown?
we also want to know many more things;
please do not condemn others, please highlight ur achievement too…if any..only that does matter to ordinary rakyat…
What a laughing stock of our Apex Or Apek University? It is April Fool become May the fool?
USM should also compensate for the traveling expenses incurred by those who were victimised.
However, I wonder if all the students in the 4,574 are all qualified and entitled to admission? if “compensating” them in such a way, would there be other students who are more qualified but denied of their place?
Its the computer’s fault they said. Maybe usm’s computer are way smarter then the super computer configured by the americans. Perhaps comparable to those that drive the Terminator G2000 version robots with living human tissues.
An error that runs into 4,500 in numbers cannot properly be called a machine error. An isolated machine error here and there may escape detection once in a while but certainly not 4,500 errors. Any fool who bother to check could have noticed the error. That is clear human error.
Elsewhere, the chancellor of the university would resign and accept responsibility. Here he can continue on as if the error does not matter. Its a sad state.
Oi najib where are you? Wot say you? Or are we to direct all our questions to the vice chancellor and the edu min? Let me guess. Yes we are to direct all our questions to the v-c and the e min and both the v-c and the e min would then elect not answer any question (like tee kiat). Yeah that more or less are the order of things for umno and najib.
If USM as apex university can choose its students directly, why not inform the students directly.
For a university that cannot even handle a simple task of ensuring the selected students file is properly uploaded shows the kind incompetent management that they have.
Where’s the checking system? Where’s the preventive measure?Where’s the verification measure?
This is suppose to be the Apex University. This just confirms my lack in faith in local public universities. If this were to happen say an american/british/australian university, the Dean Of Admissions would left his job. In Malaysia, we promote “Gross Incompetence” and “Gross Negligence”.
Elsewhere they promote a culture of accountability and competence.
True Malaysian: Even if I told what what the increase per capita income is in the states held by PR, or the increase in FDI, I don’t think you’d understand.
Can you also tell me why the Trengganu state government is logging the forests of Kenyir ? Can you also give a status report on how much the rakyat’s money has been spent on the Corridors ?
Probably this is the scenario….
When at first the victims name were in the list
-the are accepted
later…
Oppps
Wrong race……….
so the names dropped
For those who rejected by USM to demand OTK to ALLOWED ALL OF YOU TO BE enroll into UTAR for free as MCA has owe you tax payer parent a lot more money!
“4,574 students being wrongly informed that they had obtained places at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) “. Ha…Ha…Ha… A joking university indeed! I second the firing of the VC and his administration. This is unacceptable!
When you are at the apex
what else do you expect next?
Down hill all the way lah, what else?
if i am one of those 4k+ students , i would be devastated.
USM really owe these applicant a front page public apology.
true-something,
we would like to know how much the BN gomen has stolen from the RAKYAT all these years…
…you know the RM500mil to seal the deal
…the RM100mil to send a tourist to space
…the RM4.5bil PKFZ scandal? or is it RM8bil?
…now want to withdraw RM1.3bil subsidy and cause prices of basic essential items to balloon…
so many, it gets dizzy just thinking about it…
False-malaysian.
You should query why Terengganu has to to borrow huge sum of money to create a sovereign wealth fund for the state and not out from the huge oil revenue? Are they trying to double or nothing in their investment or just another big opportunity siphon off the money big time?
the USM’s computers software were designed by Mara graduates under the guidance of Ahmad Ismail,so it wont surprise me that 98% rejected were non-malays!
JPA,domestic universities,and most of the gomen depts,tell which which one has no colour favourite?
thy purposely put 2% to non-accuracy inorder to let us know that no skin selections were involved,see,also got some malays isnt it?
or probably same tactics are implemented to enable MCA, Gerakan n MIC have some roles to play?
\so many, it gets dizzy just thinking about it…’ kerishmauddinitis
oh so you can think??
USM can have the latest software and computer system but it still needs the qualified and competent staff to do the job!!! We can have hundred millions ringgits software and hardware, but if the people are not qualified and competent enough, they may press the wrong button or set the wrong direction and fire the missile into Putrajaya or cause nuclear plant to melt!!!
If APEX USM could make such mistake, I wonder what will happen to other non-APEX Universities!!! The only difference is that they just sweep every thing under the carpet!!!
Malaysia needs to benchmark against other top Universities in the world and not among the local universities which the best is still not in the top 200 in the world ranking!!!
In my opinion, i suggest that all the applicant victims got the priority to intake by the University that all the applicant victims had selected in UPU as a compensation to those related victims. Contrast to USM, UPU should offer to all applicant victims aslike to all USM had offered before. On behalf of all related victims, i exclaim all parties to hand out for resolve the problem. Thank you!