Education history | About Me by HERTHIK A/L PRATHABAN

The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), or the Malaysian Certificate of Education, is a national examination taken by all fifth-form secondary school students in Malaysia. It is the equivalent to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Nationals 4/5 in Scotland; and GCE Ordinary Level in the Commonwealth of Nations. It is the leaving examination of the eleventh grade of schooling.

SPM is the penultimate examination sat by secondary school students before entry into sixth form or technical education. The examination is set and examined by the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate (Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia). For those who attend international schools, the equivalent exam they sit for is the International General Certificate of Secondary Education exam. On the other hand, the Unified Examinations Certificate is equivalent to Advanced Level.

The Malaysian Matriculation Programme (Malay: Program Matrikulasi Malaysia) is a one or two-year pre-university preparatory programme offered by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. Starting 2005, the selection process for the programme is done through a race-based quota system, where 90% of the places are reserved for bumiputeras students while the remaining 10% are open for non-bumiputeras.

Since its inception in the 1980s, the matriculation programme was handled by respective local universities. In 1998, the Matriculation Division was established by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. The first matriculation programme started in 1999. Prior to 2019, seats for matriculation programme has been increased from 25,000 to 40,000 but the 90:10 quota retained, sparking controversy especially among non-Malay political parties and community for marginalising Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) candidates.