ADMISSIONS to the Yayasan Sarawak International Secondary School (YSISS) will be based on merit and socio-economic background rather than racial quotas.
Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee said students are selected based on their academic achievement where applicants are required to score at least Band 5 in their Year 6 assessment.
He said the assessment is conducted by Yayasan Sarawak in collaboration with Swinburne University.
“(Regardless) if you are B40, M40 or T20, you will be recruited. The top M40 will be recruited. The top B40 will be recruited. Nothing to do with your racial background.
“It’s purely based on your socio-economy plus your exam results,” he told a press conference after replying to a question from Christopher Gira (GPS-Tamin)
during the question-and-answer session here on Wednesday.
Dr Annuar also clarified that the current student demographics: 36.2 per cent Malay, Bidayuh (19.1%), Iban (18.7%), Chinese (12.2%), Melanau (7.9%), Orang Ulu (3.7%), and 2.2% from other races, reflect the southern Sarawak population around the two existing schools in Petra Jaya and Mile 12.
He said this distribution may shift when additional schools open in Betong, Sibu, Miri, and Bintulu.
Dr Annuar also said the YSISS will prepare students for the SPM exam as well as the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE).
“We aim to support students with both qualifications. If they choose to study overseas, they’ll have their IGCSE results, but for those who prefer local universities, they’ll have SPM results as well,” he said.
He also said plans are underway to select the top two students from each school annually to send them to prestigious universities like the Ivy League in the United States or the Russell Group in the United Kingdom.
Currently, the two schools serve 403 students—259 in Petra Jaya and 144 in Mile 12.
