KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry is upgrading data systems for private schools and schools not under the ministry's purview to safeguard university application processes.
Its minister Fadhlina Sidek said this was to ensure data integration control similar to that of schools under the ministry.
She said this followed an issue where Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia candidates had their Psychometric Assessment and Assessment of Physical Activity Co-curriculum (PAJSK) data affected, causing their university applications to fail.
"At the moment, the system development process is still ongoing.
"The ministry has also collaborated with the Higher Education Ministry to coordinate PAJSK scores to ensure students' data are not affected in the future.
"We (the ministry) take full responsibility to ensure that the incident will not recur," she said during the minister's question time in Dewan Rakyat today.
Fadhlina was responding to Wan Razali Wan Nor (PN-Kuantan), who asked about the ministry's actions after students failed to get a placement at their first-choice university due to zero marks in their PAJSK.
Previously, a parent of a student in Pahang had claimed that her child failed to secure their first university choice in the Central University Admission Unit (UPU) application.
The parent claimed that upon investigation, there were errors in her child's PAJSK scores, causing her child and other students from the school failing to get their first university choice in the UPU placement.
The students were in a school declared as one of the top-performing schools during the recent SPM exams.
PAJSK scores, which include 10 per cent of co-curricular marks, are also considered along with exam results when applying for tertiary education through UPU.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina said PAJSK scores for private and schools not under the Education Ministry's purview were previously managed through the Student Database Application System (ADPM).
This system, she said, was the same being used in schools under the ministry's purview.
However, Fadhlina said the ministry lacked control over data integrity in this system and needed to develop an integrated one with stringent controls to prevent breaches and allow full data management.
Subsequently, she said the ministry introduced the Integrated Assessment Management System for the 2023/2024 school session.
"For schools not under the ministry's jurisdiction, PAJSK scores are collected and submitted offline using a standard template provided by the ministry.
"These scores are then submitted to the Student Admission Division of Public Universities under the Higher Education Ministry for university admissions purposes.
"Thus, until all data can be integrated, schools not under the ministry's administration will need to temporarily use this offline method.
"Despite arising issues, the ministry has taken follow-up actions and remains committed to ensuring all PAJSK scores are properly managed and accounted for."