Matriculation graduates to be awarded certificates - Mahdzir

He said the decision to award the certificates was made to extend the recognition for the matriculation programme which had achieved a variety of excellence.

Mahdzir made the announcement in his address at the orientation week for new students at the Kedah Matriculation College in Changlun here.

He said the decision applied only to matriculation graduates from 2016 onwards and that the ministry would issue the certificates.

"As for the recognition of the certificate, the ministry will present the matter to the Public Service Department soon," he said.

Meanwhile, the ministry's deputy director of the Matriculation Division, Dr Baiduriah Yaakub, said discussions with the PSD on the recognition had been going on since 2010.

"There has been no special certificate (for matriculation). The graduates went straight to public universities or universities abroad. Matriculation is to prepare students for study at institutions of higher learning," she said.

With the awarding of the certificates, Matriculation will be equivalent to the Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia and the graduates can apply for employment in the public or private sectors, she added.

"As for the salary scale, a pass in matriculation will be equivalent to a pass at STPM level," she said.