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<h2>It was recently revealed that some T20 parents allegedly send their children to <a href="https://says.com/my/news/t20-mrsm-classmates-harry-potter-english" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MARA Junior Science Colleges (MRSM)</a> to learn about &#8220;hardships&#8221;, sparking a debate on social media</h2>
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<p>The statement was made by MARA Science College Alumni Association (ANSARA) president Mohd Fadzil Yusof during an interview by <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.facebook.com/sinarharian/videos/925373059172999?locale=ms_MY">Sinar Harian</a> on Tuesday, 2 January.</p>
<p>Fadzil claimed that parents from the high-income group choose to enroll their children in MRSMs not to save money on tuition fees, but for the diverse learning environment, particularly the opportunity to <b>interact with students from the B40 group</b>.</p>
<p>&#8220;In private [secondary] schools, the cost of education can go up to RM3,000 per month.</p>
<p>&#8220;If they (T20 parents) can afford to send their children to private schools, why compete for admission to MRSMs?</p>
<p>&#8220;I wonder why this group (T20) wants to send their children to MRSMs and the surprising answer I received is to <b>let their children experience hardship</b>.</p>
<p>&#8220;MRSMs are supposedly the best place for their children to <b>make friends with the B40 group</b>,&#8221; he said.</p>
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                    <a href="https://images.says.com/uploads/story_source/source_image/1204541/3325.png" target="" class="imgwrap colorbox-image cboxElement" title="MARA Science College Alumni Association (ANSARA) president Mohd Fadzil Yusof." rel="segment-810 noopener"><br />
                      <img decoding="async" class="source-img-1204541" alt="MARA Science College Alumni Association (ANSARA) president Mohd Fadzil Yusof." src="https://images.says.com/uploads/story_source/source_image/1204541/3325.png"> </a>
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<p class="img-caption">MARA Science College Alumni Association (ANSARA) president Mohd Fadzil Yusof.</p>
<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/642355/khas/wacana/golongan-t20-hantar-anak-ke-mrsm-untuk-belajar-erti-kesusahan" rel="noopener">Mohd Halim Abdul Wahid/Sinar Harian</a></small>
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<h2>For context, MRSMs were established in 1972 with the objective of giving bumiputera secondary school students from low-income homes a better shot in life</h2>
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<p><p>The schools aim to equip students with a foundation in science and technology, specifically targeting those with high academic and intellectual capabilities to nurture and develop their potential.</p>
<p>According to MARA&#8217;s <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.mara.gov.my/en/index/education/mjsc/mrsm-education-system-program/?lang=en">website</a>, there are currently 55 MRSM schools offering six different types of programmes in Malaysia.</p>
<p>The most popular programme, Premier, is adopted by 26 schools, <b>offering not only the national STEM-based curriculum, but also character-building and entrepreneurship modules</b>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, schools that offer the IGCSE programme allow students to go through both Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and national STEM-based curriculums.</p>
<p>MRSMs can be seen as a step-up from regular <i>sekolah kebangsaan,</i>&nbsp;earning a reputation that MRSM alumni are more likely to succeed in life.</p>
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                    <a href="https://images.says.com/uploads/story_source/source_image/1204542/8391.png" target="" class="imgwrap colorbox-image cboxElement" title="MRSMs provide six distinct programmes aimed at equipping students to excel in the fields of science and technology in the future." rel="segment-810 noopener"><br />
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<p class="img-caption">MRSMs provide six distinct programmes aimed at equipping students to excel in the fields of science and technology in the future.</p>
<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mara.gov.my/en/index/education/mjsc/mrsm-education-system-program/?lang=en" rel="noopener">MARA</a></small>
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<h2>In the same interview, MARA chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki revealed that 46% of MRSM students come from the B40 group, 30% from the M40 group, and 24% from the T20 group</h2>
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<p><p>He voiced concern about claims alleging that <b>some parents regularly visit the schools in BMWs or Vellfires</b>, emphasising that his duty is to guarantee that children from the B40 group have the chance to attend MRSMs.</p>
<p>Asyraf also mentioned that the government has allocated RM728 million to fund MRSM&#8217;s operations, with the <b>average cost being RM22,000 per student every year</b>, reported <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.sinardaily.my/article/214482/focus/46-per-cent-of-mrsm-students-from-b40-group---asyraf-wajdi">Sinar Daily</a>.</p>
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                    <a href="https://images.says.com/uploads/story_source/source_image/1204543/f96e.png" target="" class="imgwrap colorbox-image cboxElement" title="MARA chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki." rel="segment-810 noopener"><br />
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<p class="img-caption">MARA chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.</p>
<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://portal.sinarharian.com.my/index.php/2024/01/03/46-peratus-pelajar-mrsm-golongan-b40-asyraf-wajdi/" rel="noopener">Sinar Harian</a></small>
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<h2>After the interview was aired, Fadzil and Asyraf&#8217;s statements ignited a heated online debate, causing &#8220;MSRM&#8221; to trend on X since yesterday, 3 January</h2>
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<p>Many Malaysians were taken aback by revelation that <b>the T20 group allegedly &#8220;abuse&#8221; a multi-million ringgit government initiative that was originally designed to aid the underprivileged﻿</b>.</p>
<p>&#8220;F\*\*ker. When you&#8217;re T20 and send your kids [to] MRSM, you actually take B40&#8217;s rights,&#8221; said an irate X user, while another questioned, &#8220;They (T20 parents) think MRSM  is a summer camp?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The purpose of MRSM is to provide education for bumiputera students from low income families. They&#8217;ve lost the plot completely,&#8221; wrote another netizen.</p>
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<p>In the midst of the public debate, a media outlet shared an X post on the matter, complete with a photo of MRSM students in a hall. It quickly sparked reactions from netizens who pointed out <b>the absence of Chinese or Indian students in the image</b>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not even a single Indian nor Chinese. [Meanwhile, some parties argue that] &#8216;SJK schools are the entity hindering our unity.&#8217;</p>
<p>&#8220;And don&#8217;t start with the [argument of] &#8216;Non-bumiputeras don&#8217;t want to enroll in MRSM anyway.&#8217; We aren&#8217;t even given the opportunity the very first place, even though we might be born in the very same hospital,&#8221; contended a netizen.</p>
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<p>Another netizen refuted their claim, saying MRSMs have been opened to non-bumiputeras, with <a href="https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2018/11/496929/hanya-satu-peratus-isi-kuota-bukan-bumiputera-mrsm">a 10% quota</a>, since 2002.﻿</p>
<p>But the rebuttal was met with a retort from another netizen, citing two separate <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://says.com/my/news/relocated-chinese-vernacular-school-sjk-c-ton-fah-has-over-50-malay-students-eco-majestic">news reports</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Interesting. By that (10% quota on non-bumiputera students in MRSM), you mean that there are more Malay students in vernacular schools than non-Malays in MRSM, until the extent that a [Chinese vernacular] school even has more Malay students than non-Malays. </p>
<p>&#8220;Rather than discussing the abolition of vernacular schools, wouldn&#8217;t it be more prudent to consider abolishing MRSM schools first?&#8221; asked the person.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://says.com/my" rel="noopener">X</a></small>
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<h2>In March of last year, a T20 student faced criticism after expressing dissatisfaction about her classmates not knowing who Harry Potter was:</h2>
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<h6><a href="https://says.com/my/news/t20-mrsm-classmates-harry-potter-english" class="ga-curator-related">T20 Student Frustrated Her MRSM Classmates Don&#8217;t Know Harry Potter &#038; Can&#8217;t Speak English</a></h6>
<p>The user told tell their employer that MRSM schools are for B40 students, so it is expected that they would not know who Harry Potter was.</p>
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<h2>Meanwhile, check out this story to learn about Malaysians&#8217; opinions on the vernacular school system:</h2>
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<div class="aspect-ratio-says" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://images.says.com/uploads/story/cover_image/64511/e901.jpg&quot;);"><a href="https://says.com/my/news/is-sjk-better-than-sk-m-sians-discuss-vernacular-schools-youtube-reservoir" class="ga-curator-related">&nbsp;</a></div>
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<h6><a href="https://says.com/my/news/is-sjk-better-than-sk-m-sians-discuss-vernacular-schools-youtube-reservoir" class="ga-curator-related">&#8220;Is SJK Better Than SK?&#8221; — M&#8217;sians Discuss The Divisive Vernacular School System In Video</a></h6>
<p>In the 21-minute video, six guests discussed five contentious topics related to vernacular schools.</p>
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<div class="related-content"><span class="meta-domain pull-left"><img decoding="async" src="https://says.com/favicon-16x16.png"></span><span class="meta-domain pull-right">Read the full story<i class="icon-angle-right"></i></span></div>
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M'sians Slam T20 Parents Who Send Their Kids To MRSM Schools Just To Experience "Hardship"

M’sians Slam T20 Parents Who Send Their Kids To MRSM Schools Just To Experience “Hardship”