Ahmad Zahid and Dr Sim (left) walk down the stage together after the tossing of the ‘yee sang’.
KUCHING: The Ministry of Education will carry out a thorough study to evaluate the Unified Examination Certification (UEC) used by Chinese independent schools.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the results of the study would be presented to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
“I understand the important and crucial recognition of UEC has yet to be resolved to this day. Furthermore, it was an issue close to the heart of the late (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri) Adenan (Satem), which he had put much commitment into,” Ahmad Zahid said during a Chinese New Year celebration with the community yesterday.
“I will ask for the Education Minister to carry out an in-depth study on the recognition before presenting it to the Prime Minister so he can bring it to the cabinet and come up with a solution.”
Ahmad Zahid said Sarawak’s federal ministers such as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri would follow the matter closely and be the voice of the Chinese community in Sarawak during the future tabling of recognition for the UEC in the cabinet.
The UEC is the standardised examination used by Chinese independent schools nationwide, which is equivalent to the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM).
The Ministry of Higher Education had announced that recognition of the UEC only applied as an admission point to local private universities and tertiary institutions, but not public universities as the curriculum did not meet the requirements of the National Education Policy.
Sarawak is the only state with a policy of officially recognising the UEC, which can be used for employment with the state civil service, enter state-owned tertiary education institutions, as well as to obtain education loans from Yayasan Sarawak.
Among those present at the celebration were Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Minister of Local Government Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Home Minister Masir Kujat, and Temenggong Datuk Tan Joo Phoi.