Kuala Lampur, June 30 -- Every year, thousands of Malaysian students sit for their SPM exams. And every year, graduates are given a plethora of options post-SPM. Some choose to take A-levels, international baccalaureate, AUSMAT or others. Some begin working.

Others, who opt for public higher education, are sorted, by choice or by circumstance into one of several public pre-university pathways: STPM, matriculation, or Asasi (foundation). In theory, all three aim to prepare students for the same thing: a place in a public university.

But in reality, the system isn't just disjointed. It's deeply unfair. When it comes to the UPU system, Malaysia's centralised public university intake, all CGPAs are treated as equal.

A 4.0 from STPM is view...